] 


t  tried 


A  GREAT 
PEACE  MAKER 

THE  DIARY  OF  JAMES   GALLATIN 

SECRETARY  TO  ALBERT  GALLATIN 

1813-1827 


WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION  BY  VISCOUNT  BRYCE 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW  YORK 
CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S  SONS 

1914 


rw'v 


COPTRIOHT,   1914,   BY 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 


Published  November,  1914 


PREFACE 

IN  1875  my  grandfather,  James  Gallatin,  handed  me  a 
large  sealed  packet,  telling  me  it  contained  his  Diary 
from  1813  until  1827,  also  many  important  private 
documents. 

I  was  not  in  any  case  to  publish  any  part  of  it  until 
1900.  He  died  the  following  year.  It  lay  unopened  and 
nearly  forgotten  until  last  year.  On  reading  it,  I  found 
it  of  the  deepest  interest.  This  decided  me  (after  weeding 
out  large  portions  and  suppressing  anything  that  might 
offend)  to  offer  it  to  the  public. 

It  throws  a  very  clear  light  on  the  events  leading  up 
to  the  Treaty  of  Ghent,  and  on  the  actual  conclusion  of 
that  treaty.  James  accompanied  his  father,  Albert 
Gallatin,  as  private  and  confidential  secretary.  He  was 
sixteen  years  of  age  when  the  Diary  opens. 

Albert  Gallatin  held  a  unique  position.  Born  at 
Geneva  in  1761,  of  one  of  the  most  aristocratic  families, 
he  was  left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age,  and  was  brought 
up  by  his  grandmother,  Madame  de  Gallatin- Vaudenet. 
She  was  a  woman  of  very  strong  character,  an  intimate 
friend  of  the  Landgrave  of  Hesse  Cassel,  and  also  of 
Voltaire. 

Albert  Gallatin  was  much  influenced  by  the  latter's 
liberal  theories;  also  he  had  imbibed  the  ideas  of 
Rousseau  and  Condorcet.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  his 
grandmother  informed  him  that  she  intended  placing 
him  in  the  army  of  the  Landgrave  with  the  rank  of 
lieutenant-colonel.  His  answer  was,  "I  will  not  serve 
a  tyrant."  A  sharp  box  on  the  ears  from  her  decided 


PREFACE 

his  future.  Without  the  knowledge  of  any  of  his  relations, 
and  at  that  time  the  possessor  of  but  a  small  fortune,  he 
suddenly  disappeared.  The  next  heard  of  him  was  in 
America. 

In  this  connection  the  following  letter  of  May  24,  1780, 
from  Benjamin  Franklin  to  Richard  Bache,  Postmaster- 
General  of  the  United  States,  is  of  interest: 

DEAR  SON, 

Messieurs  Gallatin  and  de  Serre,  two  young 
gentlemen  of  Geneva  of  good  families  and  very  good  char- 
acters, having  an  inclination  to  see  America,  if  they 
should  arrive  in  your  City  I  recommend  them  to  your 
Civilities,  Counsel  and  Countenance. 

I  am  ever  your  affectionate  father, 
B.  FRANKLIN. 

At  the  age  of  forty,  Albert  Gallatin  held  the  position 
of  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  of  the  United  States.  This 
post  he  held  until  1814. 

In  1813,  an  official  offer  having  been  made  by  the 
Russian  Minister,  Count  Dashkoff,  of  the  mediation  of 
Russia,  with  a  view  to  making  peace  between  England 
and  the  United  States,  Mr.  Madison,  the  President,  sent 
for  Mr.  Gallatin  and  requested  him  to  proceed  at  once  to 
St.  Petersburg  as  head  of  a  mission,  appointing  Mr. 
Adams  (Minister  to  Russia)  and  Mr.  Bayard  as  the  other 
two  delegates. 

On  April  1,  1813,  the  Treasury  was  empty;  but,  with 
the  assistance  of  John  Jacob  Astor,*  Gallatin  was  enabled 
to  make  terms  with  the  banking  houses  of  Parish  and 
Girard,  and  so  saved  the  United  States  from  bankruptcy. 
It  was  a  bitter  pill  for  the  Federalists  to  swallow  that 

*  John  Jacob  Astor  from  Waldorf,  Germany.  At  the  age  of  sixteen 
he  joined  his  elder  brother,  a  dealer  in  musical  instruments,  in  London. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  with  a  small  pack  of  furs  he  started  on  his  own 
account  in  New  York.  Later  he  carried  on  a  fur  trade  with  the 
Indians,  purchased  real  estate  in  New  York  and  accumulated  an  im- 
mense fortune. 

vi 


PREFACE 

three  foreigners  (Parish  was  a  Bohemian)  should  have 
achieved  this;  it  also  rather  put  American  patriotism  to 
shame. 

As  the  Diary  will  show,  the  mission  to  Russia  was 
futile.  But  Gallatin  made  every  effort,  and  with  the  aid 
of  his  friends,  Madame  de  Stael,  Generals  Lafayette  and 
Moreau,  and  Baron  Humboldt,  he  obtained  a  personal 
interview  with  the  Emperor  Alexander  in  London. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  the  latter's  influence  had  great 
weight.  That  Albert  Gallatin  under  the  greatest  diffi- 
culties (particularly  with  his  own  colleagues)  made  the 
Treaty  of  Peace  is  now  universally  acknowledged.  His 
being  a  foreigner  was  a  great  advantage  to  him  as  a 
negotiator  in  Europe — but  placed  him  at  a  disadvantage 
in  America. 

Lord  Castlereagh  and  the  Duke  of  Wellington  were 
glad  to  treat  with  him,  and  in  1815  he  practically  com- 
pleted the  Commercial  Treaty,  though  by  his  tact  he 
allowed  Mr.  Adams  to  imagine  that  he  had  done  so. 

He  was  Minister  in  France  from  1816  until  1823,  and 
was  the  United  States  Ambassador  in  England  from 
1826  to  1827.  He  was  a  man  of  the  most  simple  tastes 
but  of  deep  learning.  Louis  XVIII  once  laughingly  said 
to  him,  "Your  French  is  more  perfect  than  mine,  but 
my  English  is  far  better  than  yours." 

John  Jacob  Astor  made  him  the  most  generous  offer 
of  a  share  in  his  business,  Alexander  Baring*  did  the 
same;  he  refused  them  both  with  the  same  answer,  "A 
man  holding  the  positiof  I  have  must  not  die  rich." 

He  was  offered  the  "Treasury  again  in  1844.  He  did 
not  answer  the  letter,  but  simply  endorsed  it,  "Folly  of 
which  I  take  no  notice." 

He  died  in  1849  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight.  It  was 
always  his  wish  that  my  father,  his  eldest  grandson, 
should  return  to  Geneva,  and  that  his  children  should  not 
be  brought  up  in  America. 

*  Alexander  Baring.    First  Lord  Ashburton. 
vii 


PREFACE 

I  was  brought  up  by  my  grandfather,  James  Gallatin, 
the  author  of  this  Diary.  My  father  died  at  Geneva,  in 
1859. 


LONDON, 
October  1914. 


INTRODUCTION 

JUST  one  hundrec?years  ago  three  envoys  from  the  United 
States  met,  at  Ghent,  three  from  Great  Britain,  in  order 
to  negotiate  for  a  peace  which  should  close  the  aimless 
and  indecisive  war  which  those  countries  had  been  waging 
for  two  years.  After  many  weeks  of  wrangling,  during 
which  they  often  despaired  of  success,  they  succeeded, 
and  on  December  24,  Christmas  Eve,  the  treaty  of  the 
two  nations  was  signed,  which  has  given  one  hundred 
years  of  a  peace  several  times  endangered,  but  never 
broken,  and  now  far  more  likely  to  continue  unbroken 
than  it  ever  was  before. 

This  result  was  mainly  due  to  the  tact,  patience,  self- 
control,  and  wisdom  of  Albert  Gallatin,  one  of  the  Ameri- 
can Commissioners,  the  others  being  John  Quincy  Adams, 
Henry  Clay,  Bayard  and  RusselM  Born  at  Geneva  in 
1761  of  an  ancient  family,  originally  from  Savoy,  he  had 
gone  to  the  United  States  in  1780,  had  entered  Congress 
in  1795,  and  had  at  once  risen  to  distinction  there  by  his 
remarkable  gifts — clearness  of  thought,  power  of  logical 
argument,  and  steadfastness  of  purpose.  As  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury  in  the  administrations  of  Jefferson  and 
Madison  from  1800  to  1813,  he  had  resumed  the  wise 
financial  policy  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  another  natural- 
ized American  citizen,  and  brought  the  finances  of  the 
country  into  a  sounder  condition  than  had  ever  been 
seen  before.  ^His  eldest  son,  James  Gallatin,  then  a  boy 
of  seventeen,  acted  as  his  father's  secretary  in  the  peace 
negotiations  of  1814,  and  had  already  begun,  when  he 
accompanied  his  father  to  Europe  in  1813,  a  private 
Diary  which  he  continued  during  the  period  (1815-23) 

be 


INTRODUCTION 

when  the  latter  was  United  States  Minister  in  Paris, 
and  which  covers  also  the  period  (1826-27)  of  Albert 
Gallatin's  last  special  diplomatic  mission  to  England. 
The  latest  entry  is  October  9,  1827. 

This  Diary,  given  many  years  ago  by  James  Gallatin 
to  his  grandson,  is  now  published  by  the  latter,  Count 
Albert  Gallatin.  It  is  a  singularly  fresh,  frank,  and 
vivid  record  of  the  incidents  which  the  young  man  saw 
in  Holland,  France,  and  England  during  his  stay  there, 
and  of  the  sentiments  which  those  incidents  evoked 
when  they  happened.  Young  Gallatin  had  great  ad- 
vantages as  an  observer,  for  while  his  father's  position 
gave  him  access  to  the  society  of  the  ruling  classes  in 
the  countries  named,  he  was  himself  able  to  move  about 
more  freely  tha^a  his  father  could,  and  see  life  on  its. 
unofficial  side.  Being  moreover  a  detached  observer,/ 
and  in  character  and  tastes  more  a  Genovese  than  ari 
American,  4?  he  was  able  to  survey  men  and  things  with 
an  impartially  critical  eye,  which  in  its  youthful  confidence 
spared  nobody,  except  his  father,, and  saw  the  faults  of 
his  American  citizens  at  least  as  clearly  as  he  did  those 
of  Frenchmen  or  Englishmen.* 

The  intimacy  of  his  daily  jottings  gives  us  a  lively 
picture  of  the  Gallatin  family.  His  mother  was  a  typical 
New  Englander  of  that  time,  altogether  well  regulated, 
and  so  loyal  to  her  Puritan  piety  that  she  refused  to 
attend  on  a  Sunday  any  of  the  State  and  Court  functions 
which  the  customs  of  the  Bourbon  Restoration  allotted 
to  that  day.  His  sister,  also  well  regulated,  was  not 
without  liveliness  and  spirit.  James,  the  diarist,  is  a 
bright  fellow  with  plenty  of  humour  and  by  no  means 
well  regulated.  The  ruling  figure  is,  of  course,  the 
illustrious  father.  The  picture  of  his  character  is  all 
the  more  interesting  because  Albert  Gallatin  was  a 
singularly  reserved  and  to  strangers  cold  and  even 
austere  man,  the  product  of  generations  of  Calvinist 
ancestors,  an  aristocrat  by  sentiment,  and  though  by 

x 


INTRODUCTION 

conviction  a  stern  republican,  yet  under  no  illusions  as 
to  the  weak  sides  of  democracy.  His  perseverance,  his 
high  sense  of  duty,  and  his  clear,  strong  judgment  came 
out  both  in  the  notices  of  his  conduct  in  difficult  moments 
and  in  the  letters  from  his  pen,  some  few  of  which  have 
been  very  properly  inserted  in  the  book.  Students  of 
American  history  will  value  these  familiar  glimpses  of  a 
man  who  did  not  in  his  own  day  receive  from  the  general 
American  public  the  credit  which  his  disinterestedness 
as  well  as  his  abilities  deserved.  He  was  not  made  for 
popularity,  and  he  certainly  never  sought  it,  but  those 
with  or  under  whom  he  worked  recognized  his  powers, 
and  though  there  had  often  been  friction  between  him 
and  John  Quincy  Adams,  that  upright  and  public-spirited 
man  insisted  on  his  accepting  the  mission  to  London  in 
1826,  which  Gallatin  had  sought  to  avoid. 

There  are  in  this  book  many  interesting  sidelights  on 
the  remarkable  events  and  personages  of  the  time. 
Napoleon  Bonaparte  (during  the  Hundred  Days)  and 
the  Duke  of  Wellington  pass  across  the  stage.  Louis 
the  Eighteenth  appears  frequently,  and  the  Duke  of 
Berri,  of  whose  assassination  in  1820  there  is  a  vivid 
account.  So  does  King  George  the  Fourth  and  the  Tsar 
Alexander  I  of  Russia,  and  his  Minister  Pozzo  di  Borgo, 
the  only  Corsican,  except  the  Bonapartes  and  Paoli,  who 
has  figured  in  European  history  since  the  tenth  century. 
We  hear  a  good  deal  about  Lafayette  and  Madame  de 
Stael,  and  Joseph  Bonaparte  and  Madame  Patterson 
Bonaparte  (the  wife  of  Jerome  Bonaparte),  while  among 
the  other  personages  more  or  less  fully  touched  on,  there 
are  Alexander  von  Humboldt,  Lord  Castlereagh,  Chateau- 
briand, Talleyrand  (of  whom  there  is  a  good  anecdote), 
Count  d'Orsay,  Madame  Recamier,  Count  Walevski, 
George  Canning,  Lord  Goderich,  and  those  two  well- 
known  memoir  writers,  the  Countess  de  Boigne  and 
Charles  Greville.  The  anecdotes  are  often  slight  but 
generally  diverting.  There  is  a  good  deal  of  scandal,  but 

xi 


INTRODUCTION 

it  is  so  softened  by  the  lapse  of  a  century  that  even  the 
descendants  of  the  persons  implicated  need  not  greatly 
care.  The  anecdotes  and  the  gossip  present  a  lively  pic- 
ture of  the  society  of  the  time,  more  dissolute  in  France, 
more  intemperate  in  England,  more  crude  in  America. 
On  the  social  as  well  as  the  political  side,  the  book  is  a 
contribution  to  history,  and  Europeans  as  well  as  Amer- 
icans may  be  glad  that  the  Diary  of  this  youthful  diplo- 
matist has  not  shared  the  common  fate  of  those  to  which 
young  men  consign  their  personal  experiences. 

JAMES  BRYCE. 


CONTENTS 
PART  I 

PAGE 

FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OFFER  OF    MEDIATION   TO  THE 

CONCLUSION  OF  THE  TREATY  OF  GHENT  1 

PART  II 

FROM  THE  CONCLUSION  OF  THE  TREATY  OF  GHENT 
TO  THE  SIGNATURE  OF  THE  TREATY  OF  COM- 
MERCE 46 

PART  III 

THE  MINISTRY  IN  FRANCE :  FROM  THE  RESTORATION 
OF  THE  BOURBONS  TO  THE  ASSASSINATION  OF 
THE  DUG  DE  BERRI  78 

PART  IV 

THE  MINISTRY  IN  FRANCE:  FROM  THE  ASSASSINA- 
TION OF  THE  DUC  DE  BERRI  TO  THE  RETURN  OF 
ALBERT  GALLATIN  TO  AMERICA  165 

PART  V 

THE  SPECIAL  MISSION  TO  ENGLAND  244 

APPENDIX  I— CORRESPONDENCE  BETWEEN  ALBERT 

GALLATIN  AND  ALEXANDER  BARING  279 

APPENDIX  II— LETTER  FROM  VOLTAIRE  TO  THE 

COMTE  D'ARGENTAL  296 

APPENDIX  III— TRANSLATION  OF  DECISION  OF  THE 

5th  AUGUST.  1810  297 


xill 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

James  Gallatin Frontispiece 

By  David,  1822. 

FACING    PAGE 

Letter  to  Richard  Bache 1 

From  the  original. 

Hotel  d' Alcantara,  Ghent,  where  the  American  Commissioners 
lodged  during  the  negotiations  ending  in  the  signing  of  the 

Treaty  of  Peace,  December  24,  1814 36 

From  the  only  known  etching. 

Card  to  the  ball  given  at  the  marriage  of  the  Dauphin,  father 
of  Louis  XVI 56 

Given  to  James  Gallatin  at  Coppet,  1815,  by  the  Marquis  of  Huntly. 
From  the  original. 

"  Cupid  and  Psyche,"  by  David,  for  which  James  Gallatin  (set. 
16)  posed  as  Cupid 64 

Caspar  Gallatin 92 

Friend  of  Henri  IV. 

Madame  Patterson  Bonaparte  (three  views) 144 

From  a  painting  by  Gilbert  Stuart. 

Voltaire  and  Madame  Denise 160 

From  the  original  drawing  by  Marquise  de  la  Vilette,  given  to 
Albert  Gallatin  at  Ferney  in  1778. 

Albert  Gallatin 200 

Painted  at  Geneva  in  1815,  by  Madame  Meunier  nle  Eomilly, 
sister  of  the  first  Lord  Romilly.  It  is  meant  to  be  symbolic  of 
the  signing  of  the  Treaty  of  Ghent,  and  is  in  the  Library  at 
Geneva. 

James  Gallatin  (Josephine  Marie  Henriette  Gallatin,  nee 
Pascault) 248 


34. 


" 

' 


PART  I 

FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OFFER  OF  MEDIATION  TO  THE 
CONCLUSION  OF  THE  TREATY  OF  GHENT 

MARCH  ISIS— JANUARY  1815 

MARCH  12,  1813 

The  Russian  Minister  Count  Dashkoff  offered  mediation, 

on  the  part  of  the  Emperor  Alexander,  to  the  Secretary 

of  State.    Father  thinks  this  very  important  and  of  great 

weight. 

MARCH  14 

The  President  has  decided  to  send  a  Commission  to  Russia 
without  delay  and  has  requested  father  to  go.  He 
feels  that  it  is  his  duty.  Father  rarely  talks  to  anybody 
now,  his  mind  seems  fully  occupied  with  the  grave  situa- 
tion. I  think  I  am  the  only  person  he  confides  in.  He 
has  decided  to  take  me  with  him  as  his  Private  Secretary. 

MARCH  17 

Mr.  Madison*  told  father  to-day  that  there  was  nobody 
compared  to  him  as  a  negotiator.  It  has  pleased  him 
greatly.  Mr.  Bayardf  and  J.  Q.  Adams,  our  Minister  at 
St.  Petersburg,  form  the  Commission. 

APRIL  21 

We  sail  on  May  9. 

*  James  Madison,  President  of  the  United  States  for  two  terms  from 
1809  until  1817. 

t  James   Ashton   Bayard,   American   Statesman,   born   1767,   died 
1815. 

1 


1 8131        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

Extract  from  ALBERT  GALLATIN'S  letter  of  May  5  to  his 
BROTHER-IN-LAW 

"  I  have  made  up  my  mind  that  I  could  in  no  other  manner 
be  more  usefully  employed  for  the  present  than  on  the 
negotiation  of  a  peace.  Peace  is  at  all  times  desirable. 
England  must  be  desirous  at  this  critical  moment  to  have 
it  in  her  power  to  apply  her  whole  force  on  the  continent 
of  Europe,  and  the  mediation  of  Russia  saves  her  pride." 

Diary  resumed: 

MAY  9,  1813 

We   sailed   to-day  from   Newcastle — a   ship   called   the 

Neptune,  300  tons — Captain  Lloyd  Jones,  J.  A.  Bayard, 

G.  H.  Dallas,  George  Milligan,  John  Todd,  father,  and 

myself. 

MAY  10 

Head-winds.  I  am  a  bad  sailor.  I  share  father's  cabin. 
He  comes  in  now  and  then  and  looks  at  me  gravely.  He 
says  he  has  no  time  to  think  of  being  sick. 

MAY  11 

A  British  frigate  at  anchor;  she  sent  a  boat  with  a 
lieutenant  and  the  captain's  compliments  to  father 
saying  that  he  would  be  pleased  to  see  him  on  board. 
Of  course  he  declined,  but  sent  Dallas  and  Milligan  to 
present  his  compliments.  Captain  Jones  also  took 
Admiral  Warren's  passport  to  have  it  endorsed.  The 
frigate  is  the  Spartan — her  Captain's  name  is  Braynton. 

JUNE  20:  GOTTENBURG 

We  anchored  in  the  quarantine  grounds  this  morning. 
It  being  Sunday  we  only  got  our  permission  from  Gotten- 
burg  to  land  in  the  evening.  I  was  only  too  glad  to 
jump  into  a  boat  and  go  on  shore  after  having  been  more 
than  forty  days  at  sea.  We  were  only  allowed  on  the 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN       [1813 

quarantine  island.  Wild  roses  in  profusion.  The  island 
is  only  a  barren  rock.  Returned  on  board  at  10.30. 

JUNE  21 

We  hired  two  boats  to  take  us  to  Gottenburg.  We  landed 
five  miles  from  Gottenburg  as  the  current  was  so  strong. 
We  fortunately  found  carriages  to  take  us  to  the  town. 
While  we  waited  for  them  we  went  into  some  of  the  houses; 
they  are  very  dirty,  horrible  smells.  All  the  women  are 
ugly  and  blow  their  noses  on  their  aprons.  Such  apologies 
for  carriages — simply  open  carts,  four  of  them,  each 
drawn  by  half-starved  ponies;  wooden  springs  to  the 
carts.  The  River  Gotha  full  of  shipping.  We  stopped 
at  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Dixon  a  nice  Scotsman  who  had 
been  American  Consul.  Several  Americans  came  to  see 
father. 

JUNE  22 

Returned  to  our  ship  after  breakfast — sailed  in  the 
evening.  .  .  .  Father  found  a  courier  going  to  England 
and  entrusted  him  with  a  letter  to  Alexander  Baring 
which  I  copied  for  him.* 

JUNE  25:  COPENHAGEN 

We  landed  this  morning.  Went  to  Bachalan's  Hotel. 
Father  let  me  go  to  see  all  the  sights  and  afterwards 
questioned  me  by  way  of  teaching  me  history. 

JULY  1 

We  went  on  board  this  morning.  South-east  wind, 
which  delays  us  greatly.  Father  called  me  on  deck; 
pointed  out  where  Lord  Nelson  fought  his  battle  in  1801. 
He  says  all  the  fortifications  are  new.  It  was  bom- 
barded in  September  1807.  Most  of  the  houses  destroyed 
and  over  two  thousand  killed.  There  seem  to  be 

*  For  the  correspondence  between  Alexander  Baring  and  Albert  Gallatin 
see  Appendix  /. 

3 


1813]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

batteries  everywhere  now  and  the  population  is  armed. 
The  King  lives  most  simply.  The  Ministers  have  merely 
nominal  salaries.  Father  says  he  cannot  understand 
England  and  Russia's  conduct  toward  Norway.  It  has 
thrown  the  nation  into  the  hands  of  the  French  against 
their  will.  Great  poverty  and  distress  and  much  dis- 
content. The  people  struck  me  as  most  civil;  they 
looked  weary  and  oppressed,  but  are  very  sober. 

JULY  3 

Always  head-winds.  I  do  hope  we  will  finish  this  voyage 
soon,  it  is  so  monotonous.  Father  wishes  me  to  do  a 
certain  amount  of  work  every  day.  I  feel  it  is  good  for 
me  and  it  certainly  makes  the  time  pass  more  rapidly. 

JULY  8 

Lovely  weather  but  still  head-winds.  Just  called  on 
deck  to  see  the  coast  of  Courland.  All  on  board  are 
getting  very  weary  and  impatient  to  land.  Father 
always  keeps  his  serene  temper. 

JULY  12 

Entered  Gulf  of  Finland.  We  will  soon  be  at  the  end 
of  our  voyage. 

JULY  21:  ST.  PETERSBURG 

After  a  tedious  journey  with  little  to  interest  one  we 
arrived  at  St.  Petersburg.  It  is  very  beautiful.  Weather 
very  warm. 

JULY  23 

Have  been  sight-seeing  all  day.  St.  Petersburg  is  very 
fine — great  width  of  the  streets  and  fine  palaces.  In 
the  evenings  father  tells  me  much  of  Russian  history. 
Mr.  Adams*  very  civil  but  has  a  disagreeable  manner. 
He  is  from  New  England,  a  "Yankee." 

*  John  Quincy  Adams— 1767,  died  1848,  son  of  John  Adams,  second 
President  of  the  United  States. 

4 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1813 

JULY  25 

Father  is  much  disappointed  that  no  steps  have  been 
taken  by  England  beyond  a  note  discouraging  arbitration 
altogether.  He  fears  the  English  Government  resent 
the  offer  of  Russian  mediation  and  that  the  President 
was  a  little  hasty  in  sending  the  mission. 
The  Emperor  is  not  at  St.  Petersburg  but  with  his 
army  fighting  Napoleon.  He  left  Count  Romanzoff  in 
charge  of  foreign  affairs  and  has  taken  Count  Nesselrode 
with  him.  This  father  greatly  regrets,  as  Count  N. 
has  great  influence  with  the  Emperor  and  thinks  it  to 
the  interest  of  Russia  to  remain  in  close  friendship  with 
England.  Count  Romanzoff,  on  the  contrary,  was  the* 
instigator  of  the  offer  of  mediation  on  the  part  of  Russia, 
as  he  disapproves  of  the  overpowering  dominion  of 
England  on  the  sea.  .  .  . 

JULY  29 

Our  position  is  a  very  embarrassing  one.  We  plainly  see 
we  are  not  wanted.  Romanzoff  is  pressing  the  Emperor 
to  renew  his  offer  of  mediation  to  England.  .  .  . 

AUGUST  6 

Such  weary  waiting,  and  all  seems  so  hopeless.  My 
father's  wonderful  calm  and  patience  surprise  one  and 
all.  I,  of  course,  being  so  young,  find  plenty  of  amuse- 
ment here;  all  is  so  new  to  me.  To-day,  after  all  corre- 
spondence was  terminated,  father  began  to  talk  to  me. 
He  warned  me  as  to  my  future  life — that  is,  if  I  decided 
to  remain  in  America — never,  above  all  things,  to  forget 
my  birth  and  the  duties  that  birth  brings — never  to  do 
anything  to  dishonour  a  name  which  for  centuries  had 
never  borne  a  stain — always  to  remember  that  true 
nobility  was  simplicity — always  to  be  civil,  particularly 
to  those  who  were  not  my  equal — to  guard  against  the 
horde  of  adventurers  who  were  certain  to  swarm  to 
America — that  the  country  was  so  vast  that  the  hidden 

5 


1813]       DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

wealth  in  minerals,  &c.  &c.,  must  be  enormous — adven- 
turers would  come  with  the  lust  of  gold — men  without 
scruples  or  conscience  or  education — that  there  would 
be  terrible  corruption — never  to  mix  myself  with  any 
man  who  did  not  carry  on  his  business  or  speculations 
in  an  honest  manner — far  better  to  die  poor  and  honoured 
than  to  sully  my  name — that  the  country  would  suffer 
for  years  from  corruption — immense  fortunes  would  be 
made  and  lost  and  men  of  evil  repute  would,  on  account 
of  the  power  of  their  money,  keep  corruption  and  dis- 
honesty afloat.  .  .  . 

AUGUST  9 

I  never  saw  people  drink  as  the  Russians  do — a  long 
buffet  covered  with  bottles  and  glasses  and  caviare. 
They  drink  seven  or  eight  glasses  of  vodka  (fire  water) 
before  going  into  dinner.  I  have  never  touched  spirits 
of  any  kind.  After  dinner  the  young  men  are  all  drunk 
and  disgusting.  .  .  . 

AUGUST  11 

Yesterday  the  Emperor's  answer  was  communicated  to 
father  and  the  other  envoys.  He  authorizes  Romanzoff 
to  renew  offer  of  mediation  to  England,  but  to  send  it 
direct  to  London.  .  .  . 

AUGUST  24 

Count  Romanzoff  summoned  the  envoys  and  read  to 
them  the  dispatches  renewing  the  offer.  Father  suggested 
two  or  three  alterations  and  they  were  made.  I  seem  to 
be  writing  all  day — my  head  is  in  a  whirl,  but  I  suppose 
it  is  a  good  training  for  me. 

SEPTEMBER  2 

Father  has  written  a  long  letter  to-day  to  General  Moreau.* 

We  do  our  best  to  amuse  ourselves  here  but  it  is  very 

*Jean  Victor  Moreau,  born  at  Morlaix,  Brittany,  1763,  killed  in 
battle  under  the  walls  of  Dresden.  He  was  one  of  the  most  illustrious 
Generals  during  the  Revolution.  Arrested  by  the  Order  of  Bonaparte, 

6 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN       [1813 

weary  work,  the  uncertainty  is  so  great.  Under  all  this 
strain  father  is  always  calm  and  shows  no  signs  of 
anxiety.  .  .  . 

SEPTEMBER  12 

To-day  Count  Romanzoff  officially  recognized  father  as 
envoy  from  America.  .  .  . 

GENERAL  MOREAU  to  ALBERT  GALLATIN  * 

August  21,  1813 
MON  CHER  MONSIEUR  GALLATIN, 

Me  voila*  de  nouveau  a  Tarmee,  pret  a  combattre 
Bonaparte  et  le  faisant,  je  vous  Passure,  sans  la  moindre 
repugnance,  bien  convaincu  que  si  dans  ma  petite  capacite 
je  puis  contribuer  a  sa  chute,  je  recevrai  aussi  ma  part  de 
remerciements  de  la  France  et  du  monde  entier:  peu 
importe  la  banniere  quand  on  reussit.  Si  Robespierre 
avait  ete  tue  par  les  Royalistes,  les  Republicains  les  en 
auraient  remercie  24  heures  apres. 

J'ai  appris  avec  bien  du  chagrin  que  votre  mission 
n'aurait  pas  le  resultat  que  nous  Stions  tous  promis, 
malgre  la  puissante  mediation  de  S.M.  Imperiale.  Les 
Anglais  ne  veulent  pas  traiter  de  leurs  droits  maritimes 
sous  aucune  mediation.  Voila  ce  que  me  dit  un  de 
leurs  ministres  en  Allemagne. 

Quoique  je  n'ai  pas  Thonneur  d'etre  AmSricain  je 
m'interesse  bien  sincerement  au  sort  d'un  pays  ou  j'ai 

tried  for  high  treason,  found  guilty  and  sentenced  to  exile.  He  went 
to  the  United  States  of  America  in  1804  and  remained  there  until  1813. 
He  joined  the  army  of  the  .Emperor  Alexander,  and  fought  against 
Napoleon. 

*  Translation  of  Letter  of  General  Moreau  to  Albert  Gallatin 
MY  DEAR  MR.  GALLATIN, 

Here  I  am  back  with  the  army,  ready  to  fight  Napoleon,  and 
that,  believe  me,  without  the  smallest  compunction.  For  I  am 
convinced  that  if  the  little  I  can  do  in  my  position  contributes  to  his 
downfall,  I  also  shall  get  my  share  of  thanks  from  France  and  the 
whole  world.  Succeed  and  it  matters  little  under  what  flag  one  fights. 

7 


1813]       DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

reste  si  longtemps  et  oft  j'ai  recu  tant  de  marques  d'amitie. 
Je  ne  suis  pas  aveugle  sur  la  position  actuelle  de  ce  pays, 
mais  j'aurai  toujours  de  la  partialite  pour  lui.  Je 
m'interesserai  toujours  a  son  bonheur  et  a  son  succes. 

Le  refus  du  gouvernement  anglais  doit  vous  mettre 
dans  une  situation  tres-desagreable. 

Je  vois  d'ici  les  Federalistes  exageres  rire  des  maux 
de  leur  pays  par  Tespoir  de  voir  le  triomphe  de  leur 
parti,  et  les  exageres  du  parti  contraire  en  profiter  contre 
vous  et  le  President;  car  il  ne  faut  pas  vous  en  flatter, 
quelque  mecontentement  que  le  refus  des  Anglais  de 
traiter  en  Russie  puisse  occasionner  la  guerre  ne  sera  pas 
nationale;  il  y'a  trop  d'egoisme;  trop  de  richesse  dans 
toutes  les  classes,  et  pas  assez  d'argent  dans  les  caisses 
de  1'etat,  pour  qu'on  puisse  esperer  un  mouvement  assez 
vigoureux  de  la  nation  qui  la  mette  dans  une  attitude 
imposante. 

Les  Anglais  veulent,  dit-on,  traiter  de  la  paix  sans 
mediation.  Je  le  crois,  mais  il  est  a  craindre  que  la 

If  it  had  been  the  Royalists  who  slew  Robespierre,  the  Republicans 
would  have  thanked  them  twenty-four  hours  after. 

I  was  indeed  sorry  to  hear  that  in  spite  of  the  powerful  intervention 
of  his  Imperial  Majesty  your  mission  would  not  meet  with  the  success 
that  we  anticipated.  As  one  of  the  English  ministers  in  Germany  said 
to  me,  "The  English  will  not  admit  of  any  mediation  when  their 
rights  at  sea  are  under  discussion." 

I  have  not  the  honour  to  be  an  American,  but  I  am  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  fate  of  a  country  where  I  have  stayed  so  long  and  where 
I  have  received  so  many  marks  of  kindness.  I  am  far  from  being 
blind  to  the  present  position  of  your  country,  but  I  shall  always  have 
an  interest  in  her  welfare  and  success. 

The  refusal  of  the  English  Government  must  place  you  in  a  very 
disagreeable  position.  I  can  imagine  the  extreme  Federals  laughing 
at  disasters  to  their  country  in  the  hope  of  a  party  triumph;  while 
I  can  see  the  Extremists  on  the  other  side  making  capital  out  of  them 
to  discredit  you  and  the  President.  There  is  no  use  in  deceiving 
yourself;  America  may  be  irritated  by  the  English  refusal  to  treat 
under  the  mediation  of  Russia,  but  the  war  will  never  be  a  national 
war.  There  is  too  much  selfishness  in  every  class,  too  much  private 
money  at  stake,  and  too  little  in  the  public  Exchequer  to  permit  of 

8 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN       [1813 

vanite  americaine  n'accede  pas  sur-le-champ  a  cette 
fa9on  de  faire,  et  que  les  malheurs  de  cette  guerre  con- 
tinuent  encore  quelque  temps.  S'il  n'y  a  pas  de  com- 
motion interieure,  ce  ne  sera  qu'une  perte  d'argent,  et 
la  duree  de  la  guerre  aura  pour  les  Anglais  un  grand 
desavantage,  celui  de  vous  apprendre  de  vous  passer  d'eux. 

Le  pire  sera  Tavantage  que  vos  enemis  particuliers 
et  ceux  du  President  en  tireront  pour  vous  nuire,  vous 
accuser  de  precipitation  dans  Tenvoi  de  ministres  avant 
de  vous  etre  assures  de  1'accession  de  PAngleterre.  II 
est  beau  de  commettre  de  pareilles  erreurs.  L'empresse- 
ment  de  faire  cesser  les  maux  de  la  guerre  peut  eprouver 
la  censure  de  la  politique,  mais  certes  il  meritera,  a  celui 
qui  la  montre,  Tapprobation  des  amis  de  Fhumanite. 

Je  desirais  bien  recevoir  de  vos  nouvelles  avant  votre 

any  hopes  of  a  national  movement  strong  enough  to  give  to  the  country 
a  commanding  attitude. 

"But  England  they  say  wants  peace  without  mediation."  I  think 
so  too,  but  it  is  to  be  feared  that  American  pride  may  prevent  an 
immediate  acceptance  of  the  English  proviso,  and  that  the  miseries  of 
this  war  may  continue  for  some  time  longer.  If  the  feeling  of  the 
country  is  not  aroused  it  will  be  but  a  waste  of  money,  while  England 
will  also  be  a  loser,  for  the  length  of  the  war  will  teach  you  to  do 
without  her. 

Worst  of  all  will  be  the  advantage  that  your  own  and  the  President's 
personal  enemies  will  gain  of  damaging  you,  of  accusing  you  of  hasty 
action  in  despatching  the  mission  before  you  had  made  certain  of  the 
willingness  of  England  to  treat.  It  is  fine  to  make  such  mistakes. 
Though  politicians  may  blame  an  eager  determination  to  put  an  end 
to  this  disastrous  war,  the  determination  deserves,  as  all  who  support 
it  deserve,  the  cordial  approval  of  every  friend  of  humanity. 

I  would  be  glad  to  have  some  of  your  news  before  your  return  to 
America.  His  Imperial  Majesty  loads  me  with  proofs  of  his  friendship. 
He  is  kindness  itself,  and  the  most  honest  man  of  my  acquaintance. 
He  is  keenly  interested  in  America,  and  I  am  sure  that  you  may 
always  count  on  his  readiness  to  use  all  his  influence  to  bring  about 
peace.  If  I  can  be  of  any  assistance  either  to  yourself  personally  or 
to  your  mission,  pray  make  use  of  me,  and  in  the  meantime  believe 
me  with  kind  regards, 

Your  most  humble  and  obedient  servant.  MOREAU. 

9 


1813]       DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

retour  en  Amerique.  S.M.  Imperiale,  Thornine  le  plus 
humain  et  le  plus  honnete  que  je  connaisse,  me  comble 
d'amitie.  II  s'interesse  aux  Americains  et  sera  toujours 
pret,  j'en  suis  sur,  a  user  de  toute  son  influence  pour  leur 
procurer  la  paix.  Si  je  pouvais  vous  etre  bon  a  quelque 
chose  ou  pour  votre  mission  ou  pour  vous-m6me  veuillez 
disposer  de  moi  et  croire  aux  sentiments  de  la  considera- 
tion la  plus  distinguee  avec  laquelle  je  suis  votre  tres- 
humble  et  tres-obeissant  serviteur. 

MOREAU, 
Au  Quartier-General  Imperial,  Hrushova,  21  Aout,  1813. 

SEPTEMBER  15:  WEDNESDAY 

No  answer  from  England.  Father  greatly  distressed  at 
the  death  of  General  Moreau. 

SEPTEMBER  20 

Nothing  doing  re  mediation;  we  have  to  wait  patiently 
for  answer.  Father  thinks  nothing  can  be  done  in  Russia 
and  is  anxious  to  go  to  England. 

SEPTEMBER  25 

We  amuse  ourselves  as  best  we  can.  It  is  not  the  season 
here.  St.  Petersburg  deserted,  hot  with  wind  and  dust. 
I  go  to  the  theatre  and  occasionally  dine  out.  .  .  . 

OCTOBER  19 

A  thunderclap  to-day.  Letters  from  Washington;  one 
announcing  officially  that  the  Senate  had  rejected  father's 
nomination  as  head  of  the  Commission  by  one  vote.  .  .  . 

THE  SECRETARY  OF  STATE  to  the  AMERICAN 
COMMISSIONERS 

DEPARTMENT  OF  STATE, 

August  5,  1813 

GENTLEMEN, 

I  am  very  sorry  to  be  under  the  necessity  of  com- 
municating to  you  an  event  of  which  there  was  no  antic- 
ipation when  you  left  the  United  States. 

10 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1813 

The  event  to  which  I  allude  is  the  rejection  by  the 
Senate  of  the  nomination  of  Mr.  Gallatin  on  the  idea 
that  his  mission  to  Russia  was  incompatible  with  the 
office  of  Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 

After  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Jay,  when  Chief  Justice 
of  the  United  States,  by  President  Washington,  and  of 
Mr.  Ellsworth,  when  holding  the  same  office,  by  President 
Adams,  by  which  a  member  of  a  separate  branch  of  the 
Government  was  brought  into  an  office  under  the  Execu- 
tive, and  after  the  sanction  given  in  practice  as  well  as 
by  law  to  the  appointment  of  persons  during  the  absence 
of  a  head  of  a  department  to  perform  its  duties,  it  was 
presumed  that  there  would  not  be  any  serious  or  sub- 
stantial objection  to  the  employment  in  a  similar  service 
of  a  member  of  the  Administration  itself. 

Although  this  nomination  was  opposed  in  the  Senate 
as  soon  as  it  was  acted  on,  yet  it  was  not  believed  that 
it  would  be  rejected  until  the  vote  was  taken.  At  an 
early  stage  the  President  was  called  on  by  a  resolution 
of  the  Senate  to  state  whether  Mr.  Gallatin  retained  the 
office  of  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  and,  in  case  he  did, 
who  performed  the  duties  of  that  department  in  his 
absence.  The  President  replied  that  the  office  of  Secre- 
tary was  not  vacated  by  Mr.  Gallatin's  appointment  to 
Russia,  and  that  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  performed 
its  duties  in  his,  Mr.  Gallatin's,  absence.  After  this 
reply,  which  was  given  in  conformity  with  the  President's 
own  views  of  the  subject,  and  with  those  of  Mr.  Gallatin 
when  he  left  the  United  States,  it  was  impossible  for  the 
President,  without  departing  from  his  ideas  of  propriety 
in  both  respects,  to  have  removed  Mr.  Gallatin  from 
the  Treasury  to  secure  the  confirmation  of  his  nomination 
to  Russia.  It  would  have  been  still  more  improper  to 
have  taken  that  step  after  the  rejection  of  the  nomina- 
tion. The  President  resolved,  therefore,  to  leave  the 
mission  on  the  footing  on  which  it  was  placed  by  the 
vote  of  the  Senate  by  which  the  nomination  of  Mr.  Adams 

11 


1813]       DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

and  Mr.  Bayard  was  confirmed.  Whatever  has  been 
done  jointly  under  the  Commission,  given  to  the  three 
Commissioners  by  the  President  when  you  left  the 
United  States,  in  compliance  with  your  instructions  will 
not  be  affected  by  this  event. 

OCTOBER  22 

Father  had  an  interview  with  Count  Romanzoff  to-day. 
The  latter  begs  him  to  remain  in  St.  Petersburg  but 
he  thinks  he  ought,  perhaps,  to  return  at  once  to  the 
Treasury.  He  feels  now  that  he  can  act  as  he  chooses  as 
he  is  free.  His  political  enemies  are  gaining  power.  He 
is  strongly  impressed  with  the  idea  that  he  ought  to 
resume  the  negotiations.  .  .  . 

OCTOBER  24 

After  a  stormy  interview  with  Mr.  Adams  (Adams  was 
the  storm)  father  has  decided  to  take  his  own  course. 
He  is  sending  Mr.  Dallas  to  London  to  see  Lord  Castle- 
reagh,  Count  Lieven*  and  Mr.  Baring,  with  the  object  of 
being  in  direct  communication  with  them.  .  .  . 

OCTOBER  26 

Father  thinks  of  going  himself  to  England  or  to  go  direct 
to  the  Emperor's  headquarters.  Count  Romanzoff  spoke 
to  father  a  few  days  since  about  a  Count  Joseph  Galati, 
a  major-general  in  the  Russian  army.  He  wanted  an 
introduction.  He  is  going  to  call  to-morrow,  as  he  is 
only  passing  through  St.  Petersburg  on  his  way  to  join 
the  Emperor.  .  .  . 

OCTOBER  27 

Count  Galati  called  this  afternoon.  He  says  he  is  a 
branch  of  our  family;  that  his  family  were  from  Savi- 
gliano  in  the  Piedmont;  that  his  father  was  intimate  with 
Count  Paul  Michael  de  Gallatin,  Councillor  of  State  of 

*  Count  Lieven,  afterwards  Prince  Lieven,  Russian  Ambassador  at 
the  Court  of  St.  James. 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN       [1814 

the  Republic  of  Geneva,  who  acknowledged  relationship. 
He  was  very  charming,  and  father  does  not  doubt  the 
relationship.  Count  Paul  Michael  was  the  head  of  our 
family  and  my  father  was  his  ward.  Count  Galati  is  a 
great  person  in  Russia.  He  was  in  full  uniform,  covered 
with  orders  and  stars.  He  kindly  explained  them  to  me. 
He  has  the  following  orders:  the  Military  Orders  of 
St.  George  and  St.  Vladimir  of  Russia,  St.  Maurice  and 
St.  Lazare  of  Sardinia,  and  the  Sovereign  Order  of 
St.  Jean  of  Jerusalem.  He  so  deeply  regrets  he  is  leaving 
to  morrow  as  he  wishes  us  to  go  to  his  country  house.  .  .  . 

OCTOBER  28 

Lord  Walpole  has  arrived.     Father  is  greatly  annoyed 

at  his  openly  talking  of  Count  Romanzoff  s  "intrigues." 

OCTOBER  30 

Count  Romanzoff  has  just  sent  father  a  note  informing 
him  that  he  intended  retiring  from  office  but  that  he  will 
remain  Chancellor  until  he  has  closed  the  affairs  of  the 
mission. 

DECEMBER  1 

It  seems  all  the  trouble  has  been  made  by  the  Emperor 
forgetting  to  communicate  a  most  important  note  to 
Count  R.,  which  put  him  in  a  false  position.  So  after  all 
Lord  Castlereagh  was  not  to  blame 

JANUARY  12,  1814 

Father  has  decided  to  leave  St.  Petersburg  as  there  is  not 

a  word  from  the  Emperor.  .  .  . 

JANUARY  26 

We  leave  to-day.     Mr.  Bayard  accompanies  us. 

MARCH  5:  AMSTERDAM 

After  a  terrible,  cold,  and  weary  journey  we  arrived  here 
last  night.  .  .  . 

13 


1814]       DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

MARCH  6 

We  learnt  with  great  pleasure  to-day  that  Lord  Castle- 
reagh's  offer  of  direct  negotiations  has  been  met  by  the 
President  by  the  appointment  of  a  new  Commission. 
Father's  name  was  omitted.  It  seems  the  President 
thinks  he  is  on  his  way  back  to  take  up  the  Treasury.  .  .  . 

MARCH  20 

The  President  has  discovered  the  mistake  and  appointed 

Father  as  one  of  the  Commission.  .  .  . 

MARCH  22 

Father  received  to-day  the  necessary  permission  from 
Mr.  Baring  to  visit  England.  We  are  leaving  imme- 
diately. .  .  . 

APRIL  9:  LONDON 

Arrived  here  to-day. 

APRIL  11 

Father  wants  to  change  the  place  for  the  negotiations. 
He  thinks  London  would  be  far  better.  He  would  then 
be  in  direct  touch  with  Lord  Castlereagh.  We  are  now 
comfortably  settled  in  apartments  in  Seymour  Street. 
I  find  London  very  dull  in  comparison  to  Paris  and  St. 
Petersburg.  Our  position  is  not  a  very  pleasant  one;  we 
have  many  invitations,  and  I  think  all  mean  to  be  civil 
and  kind,  but  there  is  always  a  feeling  of  constraint.  .  .  . 
The  only  house  where  we  seem  to  be  really  welcome 
is  Mr.  Baring's. 

APRIL  13 

Father  sees  a  great  deal  of  his  old  friend  Monsieur 
Dumont.*  He  brought  Jeremy  Benthamf  to  introduce 
him  to-day.  We  dine  with  Monsieur  D.  to-morrow.  .  .  . 

*  Andre"  Dumont,  politician,  born  1764,  died  1836.  Banished  by 
Louis  XVIII  in  1816  under  the  law  against  regicides. 

t  Jeremy  Bentham,  born  1748,  died  1832,  a  political  and  philo- 
sophical writer. 

14 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN       [1814 

APRIL  14 

.  .  .  Dined  with  Lord  Bathurst,  stiff  and  formal.  .  .  . 

APRIL  15 

Oh!  the  horrors  of  Sunday  in  London.  It  is  indeed  a 
day  of  rest. 

Englishwomen  are  not  pretty;  they  are  either  coarse 
or  very  delicate.  Complexions  fine  but  too  red.  Dress 
so  very  badly — no  taste.  .  .  . 

APRIL  17 

I  have  been  nearly  every  day  to  the  British  Museum. 

Father     wanted     many     works     consulted     and     notes 

taken.  .  .  . 

I  looked  up  Barthelemy  de  Gallatin.*     He  was  Colonel  of 

the  Mounted  Grenadiers.     He  died  in  1786  and  is  buried 

at  Brompton  near  his  country  house.     I  found  his  name, 

&c.  &c.,  in  an  old  Army  list.    He  left  two  daughters.  .  .  . 

APRIL  18 

I  have  seen  the  Prince  Regent  walking  in  the  Mall. 
He  is  handsome.  The  Queen  I  have  seen  several  times. 
She  keeps  great  state.  .  .  . 

The  following  letters  of  Albert  Gallatin  to  W.  H.  Crawford  and  Gen- 
eral Lafayette  are  of  interest  in  connection  with  the  negotiations  as  show- 
ing the  diplomatic  difficulties  with  which  the  mission  had  to  contend. 

ALBERT  GALLATIN  to  W.  H.  CRAWFORDf 

LONDON,  April  21,  1814 
MY  DEAR  SIR, 

Mr.  Bayard  and  myself  left  St.  Petersburg  on 
January  25,  remained  four  weeks  at  Amsterdam,  and 
arrived  here  on  the  9th  inst.  I  could  not  write  to  you 
sooner,  there  having  been  no  communication  with  Paris 

*Barth61emy  de  Gallatin,  Lieut.-Colonel  Second  Troop  of  Horse 
Grenadier  Guards,  7th  April,  1759.  (From  the  military  register  for 
the  year  1770.) 

t  William  H.  Crawford,  Secretary  of  War  in  the  United  States. 

15 


1814]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

v  from  Holland,  and  Mr.  Poletica,  who  is  the  bearer  of  this, 
having  offered  the  first  safe  opportunity  for  a  confidential 
letter. 

Messrs.  Clay  and  Russell,  who  are  jointly  with  Messrs. 
Adams  and  Bayard  appointed  to  open  a  direct  negotia- 
tion for  peace  with  Great  Britain,  arrived  at  Gottenburg 
on  the  12th  inst.,  after  a  passage  of  forty-six  days;  but 
as  they  had  not  reached  the  town  when  the  last  packet 
sailed,  we  have  not  yet  received  any  letter  from  them, 
or  any  American  news  brought  by  the  vessel  in  which 
they  came. 

There  is  a  newspaper  report  of  Norfolk,  under  date  of 
February  12,  stating  that  G.  W.  Campbell  was  made 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  Rush  Attorney-General,  and 
that  I  had  been  nominated  fifth  Commissioner  to  treat 
of  peace  with  England.  My  stay  in  Europe  will,  of 
course,  depend  on  the  official  account  which  Messrs.  Clay 
and  Russell  will  have  brought.  You  are  sufficiently  aware 
of  the  critical  situation  in  which  the  restoration  of  a 
general  European  peace  has  placed  our  affairs.  The 
numerous  English  forces  in  France,  Italy,  Holland,  and 
Portugal  ready  for  immediate  service,  and  for  which 
there  is  no  further  employment  in  Europe,  afford  to  this 
Government  the  means  of  sending  both  to  Canada  and 
to  the  United  States  a  very  formidable  army,  which 
we  are  not  prepared  to  meet  with  any  regular,  well- 
organized  force;  and  they  will  also  turn  against  us  as 
much  of  their  superabundant  Naval  forces  as  they  may 
think  adequate  to  any  object  they  may  have  in  view. 
In  the  prosecution  of  the  war  the  Ministry  would  be 
supported  by  the  general  voice  of  the  nation.  In  the 
intoxication  of  an  unexpected  success,  which  they  ascribe 
to  themselves,  the  English  people  eagerly  wish  that  their 
pride  may  be  fully  gratified  by  what  they  call  the  "punish- 
ment of  America."  They  do  not  even  suspect  that  we 
had  any  just  cause  of  war,  and  ascribe  it  solely  to  a 
premeditated  concert  with  Bonaparte  at  a  time  when 

16 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1814 

we  thought  him  triumphant  and  their  cause  desperate.^ 
That  such  opinions  should  be  almost  universally  enter- " 
tained  here  by  the  great  body  of  the  people  is  not  at  all 
astonishing.  To  produce  such  an  effect,  and  thereby 
render  the  American  war  popular,  the  Ministerial  powers 
have  had  nothing  more  to  do  than  to  transcribe  American 
Federal  speeches  and  newspapers.  If  Pickering,  Quincy, 
Strong,  Hanson,  &c.,  have  not  brought  a  majority  of  the 
American  people  to  their  side,  they  have  at  least  fully 
succeeded  here,  and  had  no  difficulty  in  convincing  all 
that  part  of  the  English  community  which  derives  its 
information  from  political  journals  that  we  had  no  cause 
of  complaint,  and  acted  only  as  allies  of  Bonaparte.  I  * 
understand  that  the  members  of  the  Cabinet  do  not 
participate  in  that  opinion,  but  it  will  certainly  require 
an  effort  on  their  part  against  popular  feeling  to  make 
peace  with  America.  It  must  be  added  that  even  there 
(in  the  Cabinet)  a  belief  is  said  to  be  entertained  that  a 
continuance  of  the  war  would  produce  a  separation  of 
the  Union,  and  perhaps  a  return  of  the  New  England 
States  to  the  Mother  Country.  The  multitude  of  persons 
in  the  Army  or  Navy,  or  connected  with  the  war,  attached 
to  the  governing  party,  and  whom  peace  will  throw  out 
of  employment,  will  also  press  on  Government;  and 
although  it  is  probable  that  the  immense  military  and 
naval  establishments  of  this  country  will  be  so  far  reduced 
as  to  enable  Government  to  dispense  with  the  most 
unpopular  war  taxes,  a  prosecution  of  the  war  against 
the  United  States  would  afford  a  convenient  pretence  for 
preserving  a  much  more  considerable  standing  force 
than  is  necessary  and  would  otherwise  be  allowed  by 
Parliament.  It  may,  on  the  whole,  be  reasonably  inferred 
that  the  Ministers  will  be  neither  disposed  to  make  the 
least  concession — for  doing  us  justice  on  any  point  would 
receive  that  name — in  order  to  obtain  peace,  nor  at  all 
displeased  in  case  of  failure  of  the  negotiations. 
The  only  external  check  to  those  dispositions  can  be 

17 


1814]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

found  in  the  friendly  interposition  of  the  Emperor 
Alexander,  not  as  a  mediator  but  as  a  common  friend, 
pressing  on  this  Government  the  propriety  of  an  accom- 
modation, and  expressing  his  strong  wishes  for  a  general 
restoration  of  peace  to  the  civilized  world.  I  do  not 
know  whether  your  situation  affords  you  means  of 
approaching  him,  and  can  only  state  my  opinion  of  the 
great  importance  that  an  early  opportunity  should  be 
taken  by  you,  or  any  other  person  you  may  think  fitted 
for  the  object,  to  call  his  attention  to  the  situation  in 
which  we  are  left,  and  to  the  great  weight  which  his 
opinion  in  favour  of  peace  on  liberal  conditions,  strongly 
expressed  to  this  Government,  must  necessarily  have  at 
this  time.  Of  his  friendly  disposition  for  the  United 
States  there  is  no  doubt;  but  we  may  be  forgotten; 
and  it  is  necessary  that  he  should  be  apprised  of  the 
hostile  spirit  which  prevails  here,  and  which,  if  not 
balanced  by  some  other  cause,  may  even  carry  Ministers 
beyond  their  own  wishes  and  views.  It  should  also 
be  stated  that  our  Government,  having  accepted  one 
year  ago  the  Emperor's  mediation,  and  not  having  sup- 
posed that,  considering  the  political  connection  between 
him  and  Great  Britain,  she  could  reject  that  offer,  no 
other  provision  was  made  on  our  part  to  obtain  peace 
until  our  Government  was  apprised  in  January  last  of 
the  rejection  of  the  mediation  by  England.  Thus  was  a 
delay  of  a  year  produced,  and  the  opening  of  our  negotia- 
tions unfortunately  prevented  till  after  England  is  at 
peace  with  the  rest  of  the  world;  a  circumstance  which, 
although  it  does  not  give  us  a  positive  right  to  claim 
the  Emperor's  interference,  affords  sufficient  ground  to 
present  the  subject  to  his  consideration.  I  entreat  you 
to  lose  no  time  in  taking  such  steps  as  may  be  in  your 
power  in  that  respect,  and  to  write  to  me  whatever  you 
may  think  important  for  the  success  of  the  mission 
should  be  known  to  us.  The  only  modes  of  safe  convey- 
ance which  I  would  recommend  would  be  private  American 

18 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1814 

opportunities,  or  through  the  channel  of  the  Russian 
Secretary  of  State,  or  of  Mr.  Poletica,  directing  to  me 
under  cover  of  "  Count  Lieven,  Ambassador  Extraordinary 
of  H.I.M.  the  Emperor  of  all  the  Russias,  London." 

I  send  General  la  Fayette's  patents,  which  were  erro- 
neously put  in  my  hands  instead  of  yours,  and  which 
I  have  had  no  previous  safe  opportunity  to  transmit. 
My  last  letters  from  my  family  were  dated  January  23, 
when  they  were  all  well;  but  I  have  none  of  a  late  date 
from  Government  or  from  any  of  its  members. 

I  am,  my  dear  sir,  with  great  respect  and  sincere 
attachment,  truly  yours. 

ALBERT  GALLATIN. 

ALBERT  GALLATIN  to  GENERAL  LAFAYETTE 

LONDON,  April  21, 1814 
DEAR  SIR, 

I  regret  that  your  patents  should  be  put  in  my  hands 
instead  of  being  entrusted  to  Mr.  Crawford,  as  no  safe 
opportunity  has  as  yet  offered  itself  for  their  conveyance. 

I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  very  often  your  friend 
Tracy  at  St.  Petersburg,  and  left  him  there  in  good  health 
on  January  25. 

I  believe  that  I  am  not  mistaken  in  offering  you  my 
congratulations  on  the  late  events  in  France.  It  would 
certainly  have  been  desirable  that  the  changes  should 
have  been  produced  by  the  spontaneous  will  of  the  French 
people  rather  than  to  appear  to  have  been  forced  by  a 
foreign  army.  But  if  such  was  to  be  the  mode,  you 
are  most  singularly  fortunate  that  the  Emperor  Alexander 
should  have  been  the  agent.  With  respect  to  the  result 
itself,  I  think  that  every  friend  of  rational  liberty  and  of 
humanity  must  rejoice  at  the  overthrow  of  the  detestable 
tyranny  under  which  you  and  a  great  part  of  Europe 
groaned,  and  in  the  hope  that  you  have  at  last  laid  the 
foundations  of  institutions  probably  as  free  and  liberal 
as  you  are  susceptible  of.  My  attachment  to  the  form 

19 


1814]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

of  government  under  which  I  was  born  and  have  ever 
lived  never  made  me  desirous  that  it  should,  by  way  of 
experiment,  be  applied  to  countries  which  might  be  better 
fitted  for  a  limited  monarchy.  And  if  this  be  that  which 
suits  you  best,  I  think  the  ancient  dynasty  in  every 
respect  preferable  to  a  new  one.  Unfortunately,  whilst 
the  greater  part  of  the  civilized  world  rejoices  at  the 
restoration  of  a  general  peace,  the  United  States  alone 
remain  at  war,  and  are  placed  in  a  more  critical  situation 
than  ever  they  were  since  the  first  years  of  their  revolu- 
tion. Pride,  avarice,  and  ambition  will  throw  here  great 
obstacles  to  an  accommodation  for  which  there  has  ever 
been,  on  our  part,  the  most  sincere  disposition.  I  write 
to  you  well  knowing  your  unalterable  attachment  for 
America,  and  that,  if  in  your  power,  you  will  lend  your 
assistance  in  promoting  that  result. 

ALBERT  GALLATIN. 
Diary  resumed : 

APRIL  23 

Father  very  busy.  He  has  been  in  close  conference  with 
Lords  Castlereagh,  Liverpool,  and  Bathurst.  There  is 
much  to  be  discussed.  .  .  . 

APRIL  26 

Still  waiting  to  hear  when  the  English  Commission  think 
of  starting  for  Ghent.  Father  would  have  much  preferred 
carrying  out  the  negotiation  in  London,  but  our  other 
Commissioners  refused  point-blank;  they  were  either 
afraid  or  too  proud  to  come  to  England.  Of  course  they 
look  upon  father  as  a  foreigner.  This  has  annoyed  him 
very  much.  He  will,  I  fear,  have  a  very  tough  time  of  it 
in  keeping  his  colleagues  in  unison,  although,  by  the 
accident  of  his  being  appointed  last  on  the  Commission, 
he  is  practically  the  head  'of  it.  This  position  all  the 
Commissioners  acknowledge  with  the  exception  of  Mr. 
Adams,  who  is  a  firebrand.  .  .  . 

20 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1814 

Father  is  annoyed  at  the  attitude  taken  by  Messrs. 
Adams  and  Clay.*  They  both  have  written  to  him  in  the 
same  strain  refusing  to  consent  to  the  delegates  sitting  in 
London.  The  reason  they  both  give  is  that  they  are 
plain  Americans  and  that  in  England  they  would  only  be 
snubbed  and  treated  as  colonists,  adding :  "  You  are  a  for- 
eigner, which  places  you  on  an  entirely  different  footing." 

MAY  2 

We  dined  with  Lord  Liverpool  on  Saturday.     Nothing 

new. 

MAY  12 

I  have  just  written  a  letter  to  Mr.  Monroe  f  at  father's 
dictation.  He  fears  that  England  is  determined  to 
isolate  the  United  States  and  cut  her  off  from  the  Baltic 
Powers.  This  has  made  him  more  keen  than  ever.  We 
remain  here  until  we  hear  from  the  Commissioners  at 
Gottenburg,  but  are  ready  to  leave  the  moment  he  hears 
the  English  Commissioners  are  on  their  way  to  Ghent. 

MAY  22 

Father  is  doing  his  utmost  to  obtain  the  mediation  of  the 
Emperor  Alexander.  The  latter  he  hears  is  coming  to 
England.  He  is  using  all  the  influence  in  his  power  to 
have  a  personal  interview.  .  .  . 

Letter  from  Gen.  Lafayette  to  Mr.  Crawford,  giving  an  account  of  an  inter- 
view with  the  Emperor  Alexander  and  showing  the  latter' s  inclination  to 
promote  peace. 

May  26,  1814 

MY  DEAR  SIR, 

I  passed  the  last  evening  in  company  with  the 
Emperor  Alexander,  who,  however  prepossessed  in  his 
favour  I  may  have  been,  has  surpassed  my  expectations. 

*  Henry  Clay,  Orator  and  Statesman,  born  in  Virginia,  U.S.A.,  1777, 
died  1852.  Speaker  in  1808  in  United  States  Senate. 

t  James  Monroe,  Secretary  of  State,  November,  1811,  to  February, 
1815.  President  of  the  United  States,  1817-1825. 


1814]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

He  really  is  a  great,  good,  sensible,  noble-minded  man, 
and  a  sincere  friend  to  the  cause  of  liberty.  We  have 
long  conversed  upon  American  affairs.  It  began  with 
his  telling  me  that  he  had  read  with  much  pleasure  and 
interest  what  I  had  sent  him.  I  found  ideas  had  been 
suggested  that  had  excited  a  fear  that  the  people  of  the 
United  States  had  not  properly  improved  their  internal 
situation.  My  answer  was  an  observation  upon  the 
necessity  of  parties  in  a  Commonwealth,  and  the  assertion 
that  these  were  the  happiest  and  freest  people  upon 
earth.  The  transactions  with  France  and  England  were 
explained  in  the  way  that,  although  the  United  States 
had  to  complain  of  both,  the  British  outrages  came  nearer 
home,  particularly  in  the  affair  of  impressments.  He 
spoke  of  the  actual  preparation  and  the  hostile  dis- 
positions of  England. 

I,  of  course,  insisted  on  the  importance  of  his  mediation, 
the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  the  United  States,  who 
hastened  to  send  Commissioners  chosen  from  both  parties, 
and  which  he  very  kindly  acknowledged.  He  said  he  had 
twice  attempted  to  bring  on  a  peace.  "Do,  sir,"  said  I, 
"make  a  third  attempt;  it  must  succeed;  ne  wus  arretez 
pas  en  si  beau  chemin.  All  the  objects  of  a  war  at  an 
end,  the  re-establishment  of  their  old  limits  can  be 
less  opposed,  as  the  Americans  have  gained  more  than 
they  have  lost.  A  protraction  of  the  war  would  betray 
intentions  quite  perverse  and  hostile  to  the  cause  of 
humanity.  Your  personal  influence  must  carry  the 
point.  I  am  sure  your  Majesty  will  exert  it."  "Will," 
says  he,  "I  promise  you  I  will.  My  journey  to  London 
affords  opportunities,  and  I  will  do  the  best  I  can."  I 
told  him  I  had  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Gallatin  now 
in  London,  and  we  spoke  of  him,  Mr.  Adams,  Mr.  Bayard, 
and  the  two  new  Commissioners.  I  had  also  other  occa- 
sions to  speak  of  America — one  afforded  me  by  the 
Swedish  Marshal  Stadinck,  who  mentioned  my  first  going 
over  to  that  country;  another  by  a  well-intentioned 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1814 

observation  of  Madame  de  Stael  that  she  had  received  a 
letter  from  my  friend  Mr.  Jefferson,  of  whom  she  spoke 
with  great  regard.  This  led  to  observations  relative  to 
the  United  States  and  the  spirit  of  monopoly  in  England, 
extending  even  to  liberty  itself.  The  Emperor  said,  they 
had  been  more  liberal  in  Sicily  than  I  supposed  them. 
I  did  not  deny  it,  but  expressed  my  fears  of  their  pro- 
tecting Ferdinand  against  the  Cortes.  His  sentiments  on 
the  Spanish  affairs  were  noble  and  patriotic.  The  slave- 
trade  became  a  topic  upon  which  he  spoke  with  philan- 
thropic warmth.  Its  abolition  will  be  an  article  in  the 
general  peace.  You  see,  my  dear  sir,  I  had  fully  the 
opportunity  we  were  wishing  for.  If  it  has  not  been 
well  improved,  the  fault  is  mine.  But  I  think  some  good 
has  been  done.  And  upon  the  promise  so  candid  and 
generous  I  have  full  dependence.  If  you  think  proper  to 
communicate  these  details  to  Mr.  Gallatin,  be  pleased  to 
have  them  copied.  He  spoke  very  well  of  him,  and 
seemed  satisfied  with  the  confidence  of  the  United  States 
and  the  choice  of  their  representatives  to  him.  By  his 
last  accounts  Mr.  Adams  was  at  St.  Petersburg. 

The  particulars  of  this  conversation  ought  not,  of 
course,  to  be  published;  but  you  will  probably  think  it 
useful  to  communicate  to  the  Commissioners.  .  .  . 

JUNE  2 

The  Emperor  is  expected  in  London  next  week.  The 
European  Treaty  of  Peace  has  been  signed.  He  comes 
as  the  guest  of  England.  This  will  make  it  more  difficult 
for  father,  as  the  position  will  be  a  delicate  one.  Lord 
Castlereagh  arrives  to-day  or  to-morrow.  It  seems  that 
the  exclusion  of  all  Maritime  questions  or  any  interference 
re  America  was  one  of  the  conditions  of  the  Chatellon 
Conference. 

JUNE  4 

Father  anxious — waiting  to  hear  from  General  Lafayette. 

I  am  just  going  to  Eton  to  see  the  festivities. 


1814]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

JUNE  6 

He  received  a  letter  from  M.  Lafayette  this  morning, 
from  Paris.  It  gave  him  a  brief  resume  of  his  interview 
with  the  Emperor  Alexander  at  Madame  de  StaeTs.  He 
begs  father  if  possible  to  remain  in  England  to  have  a 
personal  interview  with  the  Emperor,  which  he  says  the 
Emperor  promised  to  grant  him — but  that  it  must  be  of 
a  private  nature.  He  also  mentions  that  Baron  Humboldt 
has  also  approached  his  Majesty — and  adds  that  the 
latter  "puts  himself  at  your  disposal." 

JUNE  10 

The  Emperor  arrived  to-day.  He  is  lodged  at  Leicester 
House,  Leicester  Fields.  This  is  the  palace  that  the 
eldest  daughter  of  James  I  occupied;  she  was  known 
as  the  "One-year  Queen  of  Bohemia."  Her  daughter 
was  the  Electress  Sophia,  mother  of  George  I.  ... 

JUNE  14 

The  Emperor's  aide-de-camp  called  to-day.  He  said  the 
Emperor  had  sent  him  to  say  that  on  June  18  he  would 
receive  us  privately  at  11.30.  .  .  . 

As  it  is  a  delicate  matter  there  has  not  been  any  cor- 
respondence on  the  subject.  .  .  . 

JUNE  18 

As  arranged,  his  Majesty  received  father  this  morning. 
We  went  accompanied  by  Mr.  Levitt  Harris,  a  secretary 
to  the  St.  Petersburg  Mission.  Our  minister  offered  the 
loan  of  his  coach.  This  father  thought  wise  to  refuse, 
and  hired  a  common  hackney-coach  so  as  to  attract  as 
little  attention  as  possible.  The  streets  were  crowded. 
It  is  the  day  of  the  banquet  given  by  the  City  of  London 
to  the  allied  Sovereigns.  Only  father  and  myself  were 
admitted  to  his  Majesty's  presence.  There  were  crowds 
waiting  for  audiences.  We  were  passed  in  at  once. 

34 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1814 

Father  was  presented  and  then  presented  me;  then  all 
withdrew  except  his  Majesty.  He  is  a  splendid-looking 
man,  was  in  full  uniform  and  covered  with  jewelled 
orders  and  stars.  He  was  most  gracious,  and  said  he 
had  the  most  friendly  feeling  toward  the  United  States. 
He  added  that  he  feared  his  intervention  would  be  of 
little  use — that  he  had  made  three  attempts  since  he  had 
been  here,  but  that  "England  will  not  admit  a  third 
party  to  interfere  in  her  disputes  with  you."  This  he 
said  on  account  of  our  former  Colonial  relations,  which 
are  not  forgotten.  He  also  expressed  an  opinion  with 
regard  to  the  conditions  of  peace,  saying:  "The  difficulty 
will  be  with  England."  He  also  spoke  of  Madame  de 
Stae'l  as  a  woman  of  "great  brain  and  courage."  He 
congratulated  father  on  being  her  cousin.  Father 
expressed  his  deep  gratitude  to  his  Majesty  for  granting 
him  an  audience,  and  the  gratitude  of  the  United  States 
for  the  interest  and  friendship  he  had  shown.  As  we 
withdrew  he  patted  me  on  the  head  and  said,  "You 
are  rather  young  to  be  in  diplomacy." 
I  wore  a  suit  of  Chinese  nankeen,  white  silk  stockings, 
high  white  choker,  with  a  breast-pin  of  seed-pearls  mother 
gave  me  before  I  left  home.  They  call  my  hair  auburn — 
I  call  it  red.  I  am  afraid  I  looked  very  young. 
Poor  Mr.  Levitt  Harris  was  furious  at  not  being  present, 
but  the  Emperor's  order  was  "Monsieur  Gallatin  et 
son  fils" 


JUNE  19:  LONDON,  SUNDAY 

Copied  note  which  the  Emperor  gave  father  permission 
to  send.  The  latter  does  not  think  it  will  have  any 
effect.  The  illuminations  last  night  were  very  fine — far 
surpassing  anything  I  have  ever  seen.  Although  father 
is  an  "Envoy  Extraordinary"  here,  his  position  is  of 
such  a  delicate  nature  that  it  is  impossible  for  him  to 
accept  any  public  invitations. 

25 


1814]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

JUNE  20 

Lord  Castlereagh  informed  father  that  the  English 
Mission  will  start  on  July  1  for  Ghent.  .  .  . 

JUNE  21 

We  leave  to-morrow  for  Ghent  by  way  of  Paris,  where  we 
will  remain  for  a  week  if  possible.  .  .  . 

JUNE  26:  PARIS,  SUNDAY 

We  arrived  at  five  o'clock  to-day. 

JUNE  27 

Father  had  a  long  visit  from  General  de  Lafayette, 
accompanied  by  Baron  Humboldt.*  They  were  both 
much  pleased  that  he  had  had  an  interview  with  the 
Emperor  Alexander,  but  both  agree  with  him  that  they 
fear  now  Russian  mediation  will  be  of  little  use.  .  .  . 

JUNE  29 

I  saw  the  King  to-day  driving  in  state    .  .  .  went  to 

the  Franpais  in  the  evening — Racine's  Phedre  very  fine. 

The  King  and  other  members  of  the  Royal  Family  were 

present. 

JUNE  30 

I  went  to  Versailles  to-day.  What  memories  it  awakens, 
particularly  the  Petit  Trianon!  I  do  not  think  there  is 
a  palace  in  the  world  to  equal  Versailles.  I  shut  my  eyes 
and  conjured  up  Louis  XIV  and  his  Court  with  all  its 
splendours.  I  was  accompanied  by  a  son  of  the  Due  de  la 
Rochefoucauld  D'Enville.  He  is  most  interesting,  and 
told  me  many  quaint  episodes  of  history.  One  which 
impressed  and  amused  me  was  that  when  the  Electress 
Sophia,  "mother  of  George  I,"  came  on  one  occasion  to 
visit  her  sister,  the  Duchesse  d'Orleans,  on  taking  leave 
of  the  Queen,  etiquette  required  that  she  should  only 
raise  the  skirt  of  the  Queen's  robe  and  kiss  it,  being  only 
*  Baron  Humboldt,  born  1767,  died  1835.  Statesman  and  Author. 

26 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1814 

an  electress.  The  Queen,  to  avoid  her  doing  this,  stepped 
behind  a  chair,  and  the  electress  kissed  the  chair. 

JULY  1 

We  leave  to-morrow  for  Ghent  by  easy  stages  as  father 
is  not  feeling  very  well.  .  .  . 

JULY  7:  GHENT,  THURSDAY 

We  arrived  here  to-day  and  are  lodged  very  comfortably 

in  the  Hotel  d' Alcantara,  corner  of  the  Rue  des  Champs. 

Ghent  looks  clean  and  cheerful.    The  inhabitants  speak 

only  Flemish.    All  seem  employed  in  commerce.    There 

is   an   English   garrison   here;   the   uniforms   make   the 

streets  very  bright. 

They  call  private  residences  hotels  in  this  country.    The 

house  is  large  and  all  the  delegates  are  to  lodge  here. 

JULY  9 

No  news  of  the  English  Mission. 

JULY  15 

Nothing  to  do.  Mr.  Adams  in  a  very  bad  temper. 
Mr.  Clay  annoys  him.  Father  pours  oil  on  the  troubled 
waters.  I  am  now  reading  a  history  of  the  Low  Coun- 
tries. .  .  .  The  women  are  so  ugly  here.  .  .  . 
We  had  waffles  for  breakfast — it  reminded  me  of  home. 
It  seems  they  are  an  old  Dutch  dish.  .  .  . 

AUGUST  7 

At  last!  The  British  Mission  arrived  this  afternoon. 
We  heard  they  were  coming  and  I  actually  saw  them  ar- 
rive. They  are  lodged  in  a  fine  Carthusian  monastery. .  . . 

AUGUST  8 

To-day  was  the  first  meeting.    The  British  Commissioners, 
as  a  base  of  discussion  re  the  treaty — demanded  that  the  f« 
Indian  tribes  should  have  the  whole  of  the  North- Western 
Territory.  / 

27 


1814]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

This  comprises  the  States  of  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  and 

Illinois — four-fifths  of  Indiana  and  the  third  of  Ohio. 

That  an  Indian  sovereignty  should  be  constituted  under 

'the  guarantee  of  Great  Britain:  this  is  to  protect  Canada. 

[Father  mildly  suggested  that  there  were  more  than  a 

(hundred   thousand   American   citizens   settled   in   these 

States  and  territories.     The  answer  was:  "They  must 

look  after  themselves."     Father  is  not  impressed  with 

the  British  delegates.     They  are  Lord  Gambier,  Henry 

Goulburn,*  and    William    Adams — men  who    have  not 

made  any  mark  and  have  no  influence  or  weight.     He 

attaches  but  little  importance  to  them  as  they  are  but 

the  puppets  of  Lords  Castlereagh  and  Liverpool.    Father 

feels  he  is  quite  capable  of  dealing  with  them.  .  .  . 

AUGUST  9 

The    other   demands    are    of   little   importance.      They 
consist  of  Sackett's  Harbour  and  Fort  Niagara,  so  as  to 
have  control  of  the  lakes.     But  all  this  means  the  dis- 
memberment of  the  United  States.  .  .  . 
Father  drafted  the  rejection  of  the  British  "Sine  qua  non." 

AUGUST  10 

Father  finds  greater  difficulty  with  his  own  colleagues. 
The  accident  which  placed  him  at  the  foot  of  the  Com- 
mission placed  Mr.  Adams  at  the  head  of  it.  Messrs. 
Clay,  Bayard,  and  Russell  let  Mr.  Adams  plainly  know 
that,  though  he  might  be  the  nominal  mouthpiece, 
Gallatin  was  their  leader.  Clay  uses  strong  language  to 
Adams,  and  Adams  returns  the  compliment.  Father 
looks  calmly  on  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye.  To-day  there 
was  a  severe  storm,  and  father  said,  "Gentlemen, 
gentlemen,  we  must  remain  united  or  we  will  fail.  .  .  ." 

*  Henry  Goulburn  (1784-1856).  Member  for  Horsham,  1808. 
Under  Secretary  for  Home  Affairs,  1810.  Under  Secretary  for  War, 
1812.  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  1828. 
Home  Secretary,  1835.  He  was  elected  member  for  Cambridge 
University  in  1831. 

28 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1814 

AUGUST  11 

Mr.  Adams  insisted  upon  drafting  the  first  dispatch 
to-day  and  submitted  to  the  others  for  a  revision.  Mr. 
Bayard  used  it  simply  as  a  foundation  for  his  own  draft; 
after  quarrelling  they  referred  to  father.  He  put  it  into 
shape,  and  after  endless  discussion  all  the  Commissioners 
ended  by  adopting  it.  After  this  father  drafted  all  other 
dispatches.  He  wishes  all  dispatches  to  be  without  any 
offence  to  the  feeling  of  the  English  delegates. 

AUGUST  12 

He  fears  negotiations  will  soon  come  to  an  end  and  has 
but  little  hope;  he  does  not  think  the  British  Govern- 
ment wish  to  make  peace  or  they  would  have  sent  more 
powerful  delegates. 

AUGUST  20 

To-day  I  copied  a  private  note  from  him  to  Mr.  Monroe: 
"We  will  not  remain  here  long,  the  position  is  untena- 
ble; I  am  preparing  for  departure.  Our  negotiations 
may  be  considered  at  an  end.  Great  Britain  wants 
war  in  order  to  cripple  us;  she  wants  aggrandisement 
at  our  expense.  I  do  not  expect  to  be  longer  than 
three  months  in  Europe." 

Still  lingering  on  and  nothing  arrived  at.  We  are  kept 
in  absolute  ignorance  of  the  cause  of  the  delay.  It  is 
most  galling.  It  seems  Mr.  Goulburn  does  everything 
to  obstruct  matters.  This  may  be  to  gain  time  to  receive 
his  orders  from  Lord  Castlereagh.  .  .  . 

AUGUST  21 

We  all  dine  at  the  Intendant's  to-day,  the  delegates  of 
both  sides. 

They  always  entertain  here  on  Sunday— how  different 
from  Lqndon  !  It  is  the  gayest  day.  The  working  people 
have  a  cheerful  holiday;  in  London  they  show  joy  by 
getting  drunk.  .  .  . 

29 


1814]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

AUGUST  22 

Mr.  Clay  sat  next  to  Mr.  Goulburn;  he  told  father 
afterwards  that  he  had  decidedly  made  Goulburn 
understand  that  we  intended  to  await  further  instructions 
from  America.  Mr.  Bayard  also  had  a  long  conversation 
after  dinner  with  Mr.  Goulburn,  but  he  said  he  made 
no  impression.  .  .  . 

AUGUST  23 

Lord  Castlereagh  arrived  here  to-day  on  his  way  to  Vienna. 

AUGUST  24 

He  had  a  long  conference  with  his  delegates,  after  which 
he  saw  father,  and  was  most  gracious.  I  was  present. 
He  said  he  had  written  to  Lord  Liverpool.  .  .  . 

AUGUST  26 

Father  much  fears  that  Mr.  Adams  will  do  harm.  .  .  . 

SEPTEMBER  3 

Father  is  much  annoyed  with  Mr.  Goulburn.  He 
saw  him  to-day.  The  latter  said:  "I  don't  think  you 
have  the  slightest  intention  of  making  peace."  Father 
answered:  "Surely  you  cannot  mean  this!  Why 
should  I  have  taken  the  long  journey  to  Russia  in  1813 
and  given  tip  everything  else  in  the  one  hope  of  making 
peace?" 

SEPTEMBER  4 

We  have  given  notice  to  our  landlord  and  intend  leaving 
on  October  1.  Father  is  quite  convinced  that  Mr. 
Goulburn  has  made  some  serious  mistakes  and  that  he 
has  been  reprimanded. 

SEPTEMBER  5 

A  note  from  Lord  Bathurst:  the  pith  of  it  is  that  it 
would  be  more  becoming  on  the  part  of  the  United  States 

30 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1814 

to  agree  to  surrender  the  Lakes  to  England  and  the 
North- West  Territory  to  the  Indians.  .  .  . 

SEPTEMBER  9 

Mr.  Adams  drafted  a  long  reply  to  it,  which  he  submitted 
to  father,  who  did  not  approve  of  it  as  it  would  only 
add  fuel  to  the  fire.  He  wrote  his  own  reply,  and  for  a 
wonder  Mr.  Adams  approved  of  it.  ... 

SEPTEMBER  15 

There  is  a  continual  passing  of  notes  and  we  still  are  no 
nearer  a  solution.  Father  is  getting  rather  despondent, 
but  only  shows  this  to  me,  keeping  a  cheerful  and  hopeful 
demeanour  before  the  others.  The  Indian  Territory 
question  is  a  great  difficulty.  Father  says  if  the  Indians 
were  included  in  the  peace — and  to  be  in  the  same  position 
as  they  were — our  Government  would  break  off  negotia- 
tions. He  was  of  opinion  that  it  would  be  folly  to  break 
up  negotiations  on  that  account. 

England  could  not  now  retreat  from  the  position  she 
had  taken  up  with  regard  to  the  Indian  Territory  with 
dignity.  .  .  . 

SEPTEMBER  20 

Father  has  drafted  a  reply  to  the  British  note.  It  is 
to  this  end,  that  they  were  willing  to  recognize  the 
Indians  as  an  independent  nation;  they  refused  to 
allow  them  to  be  included  in  the  treaty  in  any  manner, 
although  they  would  be  allowed  their  old  rights  and 
privileges.  .  .  . 

SEPTEMBER  26 

The  note  was  signed  to-day  and  sent  to  Washington. 
Mr.  Goulburn  came  to  see  father.  He  was  most  gracious 
and  informed  him  he  relied  on  his  tact  and  good  sense 
that  he  could  treat  with  him;  in  fact,  that  he  was  not 
the  least  like  an  American.  I  do  not  know  if  father 

31 


1814]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

was  pleased  or  not.  He  says  the  only  Americans  are 
the  Red  Indians.  .  .  . 

SEPTEMBER  30 

It  seems  that  Lord  Liverpool  wishes  the  offer  of  the 
Indian  amnesty  proffered  to  be  accepted.  Lord  Bathurst 
is  of  the  same  mind.  At  last  a  slight  ray  of  hope  that 
there  may  be  a  happy  termination. 

OCTOBER  3 

It  is  now  thought  advisable  to  call  for  a  projet  of  a 
treaty.  Mr.  Clay  has  insisted  upon  drafting  the  American 
reply  himself.  .  .  . 

OCTOBER  22 

The  British  Commissioners  sent  a  note  yesterday;  the 
pith  of  it  is  that  the  basis  of  uti  possidetis  be  admitted 
and  that  they  would  treat  on  that  basis  alone.  .  .  . 

OCTOBER  24 

I  copied  a  short  note  to-day  which  was  sent  to  the 
British  Commissioners,  drafted  by  father.  It  was  to 
the  effect  that  they  would  not  treat  on  the  basis  of 
uti  possidetis  but  only  on  the  basis  of  status  quo  ante 
bellum,  with  regard  to  territory,  also  asking  for  a  British 
projet.  .  .  . 

OCTOBER  29 

We  are  all  hard  at  work  framing  our  projet.  It  is  a  most 
difficult  task,  as  both  Mr.  Adams  and  Mr.  Clay  object 
to  everything  except  what  they  suggest  themselves. 
Father  remains  calm  but  firm  and  does  all  he  can  to  keep 
peace.  The  articles  on  impressment,  blockade,  and 
indemnities  are  assigned  to  Mr.  Adams;  the  boundaries 
and  fisheries  to  father. 

OCTOBER  30 

Father  to-day  drew  up  an  article  re  American  rights  to 
in  British  waters  and  British  rights  to  navigate  the 
32 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1814 

Mississippi,  which  were  confirmed  by  the  treaty  of  1783. 
Mr.  Clay  objected  to  them.  A  long  and  angry  discussion 
ensued.  One  question  was,  what  were  the  fisheries 
worth?  The  other  the  value  of  the  navigation  of  the 
Mississippi.  Father  wishes  to  save  the  fisheries;  Mr. 
Clay  would  not  assent  to  anything.  .  .  . 

NOVEMBER  3 

This  drafting  still  goes  on — endless  discussions  and  violent 
arguments  which  I  can  see  father  thinks  futile,  but  he 
never  loses  patience. 

NOVEMBER  5 

A  vote  to-day  on  father's  proposed  articles.     Mr.  Clay 

and  Mr.  Russell  opposed  it;    father,  Mr.  Adams,  and         , 

Mr.  Bayard  approved. 

So   the  articles   were   inserted  in  the  projet.    We  are 

getting  a  little  more  into  shape.  .  .  . 

NOVEMBER  7 

Father  is  doubtful  if  the  questions  of  the  fisheries  and 
the  Mississippi  were  not  made  permanent  by  the  treaty 
of  1783. 

NOVEMBER  10 

The  projet  signed  to-day  and  sent.    The  fisheries  and  * 

Mississippi  navigation  left  out. 

NOVEMBER    12 

We  have  to  wait  patiently  for  an  answer,  as  all  has  to  be 

submitted  to  the  superiors  in  London. 

NOVEMBER  26 

The  British  contre-projet  sent  to-day;  no  allusions  to 
the  fishery  question.  A  clause  claiming  free  navigation 
of  the  Mississippi.  .  .  . 

33 


1814]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

NOVEMBER  28 

A  dreadful  day.  Angry  disputes  on  the  contre-projet. 
Father  wishes  the  clause  re  the  Mississippi  accepted. 
Mr.  Clay  would  not  hear  of  it.  Mr.  Adams  in  opposition 
to  Mr.  Clay.  Nothing  arrived  at.  ... 

NOVEMBER  28 

To-day  father  received  a  private  dispatch  from  the 
Duke  of  Wellington.  I  have  only  just  seen  it.  It  is 
marked  "Strictly  confidential."  It  is  couched  in  the 
most  friendly  terms,  assuring  father  he  has  brought  all 
his  weight  to  bear  to  ensure  peace.  He  goes  on  to  say: 
"As  I  gather,  Mr.  Madison  as  well  as  Mr.  Monroe  gave 
you  full  power  to  act,  without  even  consulting  your 
colleagues  on  points  you  considered  of  importance.  I 
now  feel  that  peace  is  shortly  in  view.  Mr.  Goulburn 
has  made  grave  errors  and  Lord  Castlereagh  has  read 
him  a  sharp  lesson." 

^Father  burnt  this  dispatch  and  does  not  even  know 
that  I  have  recorded  it.  I  wanted  to  copy  it,  and  was 
doing  so  when  he  took  it  off  the  table  and  burned  it.  ... 

NOVEMBER  29 

Father's  proposition  to  accept  the  Mississippi  clause 
after  prolonged  discussion  was  carried  with  a  clause 
containing  the  taking,  drying,  and  curing  of  fish,  as 
secured  by  the  former  Treaty  of  Peace. 

DECEMBER  7 

An  answer  refusing  to  accept  this  proposition  received 
to-day.  More  discussion,  everlasting  bickering,  and 
matters  delayed.  Father  can  no  longer_sjlpport  Mr. 
Adams;  he  has  tried  his  patience  too  far. 

DECEMBER  12 

Another  private  note  from  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
assuring  father  of  his  support.  He  says:  "Pray  do 

34 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1814 

not  take  offence  at  what  I  say.  In  you  I  have  the 
greatest  confidence.  I  hear  on  all  sides  that  your  modera- 
tion and  sense  of  justice,  together  with  your  good  common 
sense,  places  you  above  all  the  other  delegates,  not  except- 
ing ours.%  The  Emperor  Alexander  has  assured  me  of 
this.  He  says  we  can  place  absolute  reliance  in  your 
word.  I  have  always  had  the  greatest  admiration  for 
the  country  of  your  birth.  You  are  a  foreigner  with 
all  the  traditions  of  one  fighting  for  the  peace  and  welfare 
of  the  country  of  your  adoption." 

Father,  I  think,  was  pleased.  He  is  a  foreigner  and  is 
proud  of  it.  ... 

DECEMBER  22 

An  answer  to-day.    The  fisheries  and  Mississippi  clauses) 
to  be  withdrawn  and  to  be  referred  to  further  negotia- 
tions.    It  would  be  withdrawn  so  as  not  to  be  mentioned 
in  the  treaty. 

Father  now  sees  clearly  the  avowed  wish  of  the  English 
Government  to  make  peace.  .  .  . 


DECEMBER  24 

The  treaty  was  signed  to-day  in  the  refectory  of  the 
monastery.  Later  on  there  was  a  solemn  service  in  the 
cathedral;  it  was  most  impressive.  We  all  attended  as 
well  as  the  Intendant,  all  the  officers  and  the  high  officials 
of  Ghent. 

CHRISTMAS  DAY 

The  British  delegates  very  civilly  asked  us  to  dinner. 
The  roast  beef  and  plum  pudding  was  from  England, 
and  everybody  drank  everybody  else's  health.  The 
band  played  first  "God  Save  the  King,"  to  the  toast  of 
the  King,  and  "Yankee  Doodle,",  to  the  toast  of  the 
President.  Congratulations  on  all  sides  and  a  general 
atmosphere  of  serenity;  it  was  a  scene  to  be  remembered. 

35 


1815]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

God  grant  there  may  be  always  peace  between  the 
two  nations.  I  never  saw  father  so  cheerful;  he  was  in 
high  spirits,  and  his  witty  conversation  was  much 
appreciated. 

DECEMBER  27 

We  have  now  to  wait  for  the  ratification  of  the  treaty. 
Indeed,  I  find  it  a  great  rest  for  me.  I  have  copied 
all  father's  letters  as  well  as  all  the  important  ones  that 
he  has  received.  Although  I  am  only  seventeen  years  of 
age,  I  feel  much  older.  Mr.  Adams  has  shown  great 
kindness  to  me.  At  first  I  did  not  like  him,  but  now  will 
be  sorry  when  we  part. 

JANUARY  1,  1815 

I  have  enjoyed  the  last  week  very  much.    Ghent  is  en 

fete,  dancing  nearly  every  night.  .  .  . 

JANUARY  8 

The  ratification  of  the  treaty  completed  to-day.  A  great 
banquet  offered  by  the  town  of  Ghent  takes  place  to-night. 
Poor  father  is  not  looking  forward  to  it.  ... 

JANUARY  9 

The  banquet  was  very  fine,  lasting  over  five  hours — 
speeches,  nothing  but  speeches  and  toasts.  Father  said 
but  a  few  words,  but  they  were  carefully  chosen  and 
seemed  to  go  to  the  hearts  of  all.  He  spoke  in  French 
and  ended  in  a  most  witty  strain. 

JANUARY  10 

We  are  leaving  now  as  soon  as  possible  for  Geneva.  .  .  . 

The  following  letters  are  of  interest  as  a  tribute  to  the  part  played  by 
Albert  Gallatin  in  the  conclusion  of  the  Treaty  of  Ghent. 

36 


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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN      [1815 

MADAME  DE  STA&L  to  ALBERT  GALLATIN  * 

COPPET,  SUISSE,  PAYS  DE  VAUD, 
Ce  31  Juillet,  1814 

Vous  m'avez  permis  de  vous  demander  si  vous  avez 
quelque  succes  heureux  &  esperer  de  votre  mission. 
Mandez-moi  a  cet  egard,  my  dear  Sir,  tout  ce  qu'il  vous 
est  permis  de  me  dire.  Je  suis  inquiete  d'un  mot  de 
Lord  Castlereagh  sur  la  duree  de  la  guerre  et  je  ne 
m'explique  pas  pourquoi  il  a  dit  qu'il  etait  de  Tinteret 
de  FAngleterre  que  le  Congres  de  Vienne  s'ouvrit  plus 
tard.  C'est  vous,  Amerique,  qui  m'interesse  avant  tout 
maintenant,  &  part  de  mes  affaires  pecuniaires.  Je  vous 
trouve  a  present  les  opprimes  du  parti  de  la  liberte  et 
je  vois  en  vous  la  cause  qui  m'attachait  a  PAngleterre  il 
y  a  un  an.  On  souhaite  beaucoup  de  vous  voir  a  Geneve 
et  vous  y  trouverez  la  Republique  telle  que  vous  Pavez 
laissee,  seulement  elle  est  moins  liberale  car  la  mode  est 
ainsi  maintenant  en  Suisse.  Aussi  les  vieux  aristocrates 
se  relevent  et  se  remettent  a  combattre,  en  oubliant, 
comme  les  geants  de  TArioste,  qu'ils  sont  deja  morts. 

*  MADAME  DE  STAfiL  to  ALBERT  GALLATIN 

COPPET,  SUISSE,  PAYS  DE  VAUD, 

July  31,  1814 

You  gave  me  permission  to  ask  what  hopes  you  have  of  the  success 
of  your  mission.  Let  me  know,  my  dear  sir,  all  that  you  are  permitted 
to  tell  me.  I  am  disturbed  by  a  word  that  Lord  Castlereagh  let  drop 
about  the  duration  of  the  war,  and  I  cannot  understand  why  he  said 
that  it  was  to  England's  interest  that  the  opening  of  the  Congress  of 
Vienna  should  be  postponed. 

It  is  above  all  in  you — America — that  I  am  interested  now  apart 
from  the  question  of  my  finances.  I  find  you  at  the  moment  the 
oppressed  champions  of  liberty,  and  it  is  in  you  that  I  find  the  same 
cause  that  attached  me  to  England  a  year  ago. 

Every  one  is  very  anxious  to  see  you  at  Geneva,  and  you  will  find 
the  Republic  there  the  same  as  you  left  it;  only  it  is  less  liberal — for 
that  is  the  fashion  at  the  moment  in  Switzerland.  The  old  aristocrats 

37 


1815]       DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

J'espere  que  la  raison  triomphera,  et  quand  on  vous 
connait  on  trouve  cette  raison  si  spirituelle  qu'elle  semble 
la  plus  forte.  Soyez  pacifique  cependant  et  sacrifiez 
aux  circonstances.  Vous  devez  vous  ennuyer  a  Gand  et 
je  voudrais  profiter  pour  causer  avec  vous  de  tout  le 
temps  que  vous  y  perdez.  Avez-vous  quelques  com- 
missions si  faire  a  Geneve  et  voulez-vous  me  donner  le 
plaisir  de  vous  y  etre  utile  en  quelque  chose?  Mille 
compliments  empresses. 

N.  DE  STAEL-HOLSTEIN. 

Vous  savez  que  M.  Sismondi  vous  a  loue  dans  son 
discours  el  St.  Pierre. 

MADAME  DE  STAfiL  to  ALBERT  GALLATIN* 

PARIS,  RUE  DE  CRENELLE  ST.  GERMAIN,  No.  105 
30  Septembre,  1814 

JE  vous  ai  ecrit  de  Coppet,  my  dear  Sir,  et  je  n'ai 
point  eu  de  reponse.  Je  crains  que  ma  lettre  ne  vous 

too  are  rising,  and  entering  the  arena  again,  forgetting  like  Ariosto's 
giants  that  they  are  already  dead.  I  hope  Reason  will  triumph,  and  to 
one  who  knows  you,  she  bears  a  quality  so  noble  and  high-minded  that 
her  strength  appears  supreme.  Strive  for  peace,  nevertheless,  and  be 
guided  by  circumstances.  You  must  be  wearied  at  Ghent,  and  I 
would  fain  have  the  opportunity  of  passing  in  converse  with  you  all 
the  time  that  you  are  losing  there.  Have  you  any  commissions  that 
you  wish  executed  at  Geneva?  If  so,  pray  give  me  the  pleasure  of 
doing  you  some  service. 
A  thousand  compliments. 

N.  DE  STA£L-HOLSTEIN. 

You  have  doubtless  heard  that  M.  Sismondi  sang  your  praises  in 
his  speech  at  St.  Pierre. 

*  MADAME  DE  STAEL  to  ALBERT  GALLATIN 

PARIS,  RUE  DE  GRENELLE  ST.  GERMAIN,  105, 

September  30. 

I  WROTE  to  you  from  Coppet,  my  dear  Sir,  and  I  have  not  had  any 
answer  from  you.  I  fear  my  letter  has  never  reached  you.  Will  you 

38 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1815 

soit  pas  parvenue.  Soyez  assez  bon  pour  me  dire  ce 
que  vous  pouvez  me  dire  sur  la  vente  de  mes  fonds  en 
Amerique.  Je  suis  si  inquiete  que  1'idee  me  venait 
d'envoyer  mon  fils  en  Am6rique  pour  tirer  ma  fortune 
de  la.  Songez  qu'elle  y  est  presque  toute  entiere,  c'est 
a  dire  que  j'y  ai  quinze  cents  mille  francs,  soit  en  terres 
soit  en  fonds  publiques,  soit  chez  les  banquiers.  Soyez 
aussi  assez  bon  pour  me  dire  si  vous  restez  £  Gand.  Mon 
fils  en  allant  en  Angleterre  pourrait  passer  par  chez  vous 
donner  mes  nouvelles  de  Paris. 

Enfin  je  vous  prie  de  m'accorder  quelques  lignes  sur 
tout  ce  qui  m'interesse.  Vous  pouvez  compter  sur  ma 
discretion  et  sur  ma  reconnaissance,  et  je  merite  peut- 
etre  quelque  bienviellance  par  mes  efforts  pour  vous 
servir. 

Lord  Wellington  pretend  que  je  ne  le  vois  jamais  sans 
le  precher  sur  rAmerique.  Vous  savez  de  quelle  haute 
consideration  je  suis  p6netree  pour  votre  esprit  et  votre 
caractere.  Mille  compliments. 

N.  DE  STAEL-HOLSTEIN. 

be  good  enough  to  tell  me  all  you  can  about  the  sale  of  my  property 
in  America.  I  am  so  anxious  that  I  thought  of  sending  my  son  to 
America  to  withdraw  my  fortune  from  that  country.  Remember  that 
nearly  the  whole  of  it  is  there,  that  is  to  say  some  fifteen  hundred 
thousand  francs,  in  land  and  public  funds  or  at  my  bankers. 

Be  good  enough  also  to  tell  me  if  you  remain  at  Ghent.  My  son 
could  go  to  see  you  on  his  way  to  England  and  give  you  my  news  from 
Paris.  Lastly,  I  beg  of  you  to  send  me  a  few  lines  on  anything  that 
interests  me;  you  can  count  on  my  discretion  and  gratitude — and 
I  deserve  perhaps  some  kindness  for  the  efforts  I  have  made  to  serve 
you. 

Lord  Wellington  pretends  that  I  never  see  him  without  preaching 
to  him  on  the  subject  of  America. 

I  need  not  tell  you  how  much  I  admire  your  wit  and  your  character. 
A  thousand  compliments. 

N.  DE  STAEL-HOLSTEIN. 


1815]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

ALBERT  GALLATIN  to  MADAME  DE  STAEL-HOLSTEIN* 

GAND,  4  Octobre,  1814 

CE  n'est  que  hier,  my  dear  Madam,  que  j'ai  recu 
votre  lettre  du  23  Septembre;  celle  que  vous  m'aviez 
fait  le  plaisir  de  m'ecrire  de  Coppet  m'etait  bien  par- 
venue;  mais  malgre  la  parfaite  confiance  que  vous 
m'avez  inspiree,  il  etait  de  mon  devoir  de  ne  rien  laisser 
transpirer  de  nos  negociations;  et  j'esperais  tous  les 
jours  pouvoir  vous  annoncer  le  lendemain  quelque  chose 
de  positive.  Nous  sommes  toujours  dans  le  meme  £tat 
d'incertitude,  mais  il  me  parait  impossible  que  cela 
puisse  durer  longtemps,  et  je  vous  promets  que  vous 
serez  la  premiere  instruite  du  resultat.  Malgre  les 
facheux  auspices  sous  lesquels  nous  avions  commence  a 
traiter,  je  n'avais  point  perdu  Pesperance  de  pouvoir 
reussir.  II  faut  cependant  convenir  que  ce  qui  s'est 
passe  a  la  prise  de  Washington  peut  faire  naitre  de 
nouveaux  obstacles  a  la  paix.  Une  incursion  momen- 
tanee  et  la  destruction  d'un  Arsenal  et  d'un  fregate  ne 
sont  qu'une  bagatelle;  mais  faire  sauter  ou  bruler  les 
palais  du  Congres  et  du  President,  et  les  bureaux  des 
differents  departements  c'est  un  acte  de  Vandalisme  dont 

*  LETTER  OF  ALBERT  GALLATIN  to  MADAME 
DE  STAEL-HOLSTEIN 

GHENT,  October  4,  1814. 

IT  was  only  yesterday,  my  dear  Madam,  that  I  received  your  letter 
of  September  30.  The  one  that  you  were  kind  enough  to  write  from 
Coppet  reached  me  safely.  But  in  spite  of  the  perfect  confidence 
with  which  you  inspire  me  it  was  my  duty  not  to  let  anything  transpire 
of  our  negotiations,  and  I  had  hopes  every  day  that  on  the  morrow 
I  should  have  some  definite  news  to  give  to  you.  We  are  always  in 
the  same  state  of  uncertainty,  but  it  seems  to  me  impossible  that  this 
can  continue  for  long,  and  I  promise  you  that  you  shall  be  the  first  to 
hear  of  the  result.  Despite  the  unpropitious  auspices  under  which 
we  began  to  treat,  I  have  never  lost  hope  that  we  shall  succeed  in 
the  end.  It  must  however  be  admitted  that  what  took  place  at  the 
capture  of  Washington  may  bring  forth  further  obstacles  in  the  way 

40 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN       [1815 

la  guerre  de  vingt  ans  en  Europe  depuis  les  frontieres 
de  la  Russie  jusqu'a  Paris  et  de  celles  du  Danemarc 
jusqu'a  Naples,  n'offre  aucun  exemple,  et  qui  doit  neces- 
sairement  exasperer  les  esprits.  Est-ce  parceque  a 
Pexception  de  quelques  cathedrales,  1'Angleterre  n'avait 
aucun  Edifice  public  qui  put  leur  etre  compare?  Ou 
serait-ce  pour  consoler  la  populace  de  la  cite  de  Londres 
de  ce  que  Paris  n'a  etc"  ni  pille  ni  brule? 

Tout  en  vous  disant  cela,  je  ne  me  plains  point  de  la 
conduite  des  Anglais,  qui,  si  la  guerre  continue,  loin  de 
nous  nuire  n'aura  servi  qu'a  unir  et  animer  la  nation. 
Sous  ce  point  de  vue,  la  maniere  dont  on  nous  fait  la 
guerre  doit  pleinement  rassurer  ceux  qui  avaient  des 
craintes  mal  fondees  sur  la  permanence  de  notre  union 
et  de  notre  Gouvernement  Federatif.  Et  il  n'y  a  qu'une 
dissolution  totale  qui  puisse  renverser  nos  finances  et 
nous  faire  manquer  a  nos  engagements. 

Je  comprends  cependant  fort  bien  que  lorsqu'on  n'est 
pas  Americain,  Ton  desirerait  dans  ce  moment  avoir  sa 
fortune  ailleurs  que  dans  ce  pays  la;  je  puis  avoir  des 
prejuges  trop  favorables  et  ne  voudrais  aucunement  vous 
induire  en  erreur. 

Mais  il  me  semble  que  vendre  vos  fonds  a  15  ou  20 

of  peace.  A  sudden  raid  and  the  destruction  of  an  Arsenal  and  a 
frigate  are  a  mere  trifle,  but  to  blow  up  and  burn  the  House  of  Congress 
and  the  President's  Palace,  and  the  offices  of  the  various  departments, 
is  an  act  of  vandalism  to  which  the  Twenty  Years'  War  in  Europe, 
a  war  that  extended  from  the  Russian  frontier  to  Paris,  and  from 
Denmark  to  Naples,  cannot  offer  a  parallel,  and  which  must  neces- 
sarily embitter  the  temper.  Was  it  because,  with  the  possible  exception 
of  a  few  cathedrals,  England  has  not  a  single  building  that  can  compare 
with  them,  or  was  it  to  console  the  populace  of  the  city  of  London  for 
the  fact  that  Paris  was  neither  sacked  nor  burnt  ? 

All  the  same  I  am  not  complaining  at  all  of  the  conduct  of  the 
English,  which,  far  from-  hurting  us,  will,  if  the  war  continues,  only 
serve  to  unite  and  to  animate  our  country.  From  this  point  of  view 
their  manner  of  conducting  the  war  must  amply  reassure  all  who 
cherished  groundless  fears  for  the  permanence  of  our  Union  and  our 
Federal  Government.  And  nothing  short  of  a  total  rupture  can  upset 
our  finances  and  make  us  fail  in  our  engagements.  Notwithstanding 

41 


1815]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

pour  cent  de  perte  en  serait  un  sacrifice  inutile.  Us 
tomberont  probablement  encore  plus  si  la  guerre  con- 
tinue, mais  les  interets  seront  toujours  fidelement  payes 
et  le  capital  sera  au  pair  six  mois  apres  la  paix.  Nous 
nous  sommes  tires  d'une  bien  plus  mauvaise  situation. 
A  la  fin  de  la  guerre  de  1'independance  nous  n'avions  ni 
finances  ni  Gouvernement;  notre  population  ne  s'elevait 
qu'a  environ  trois  millions  et  demi,  la  nation  etait  extreme- 
ment  pauvre,  la  dette  publique  etait  presqu'egale  a  ce 
qu'elle  est  actuellement;  les  fonds  perdaient  de  80  a 
85  pour  cent.  Nous  n'avons  cependant  pas  fait  faillite; 
nous  n'avons  pas  reduit  la  dette  £  un  tiers  par  un  trait 
de  plume;  avec  de  Teconomie  et  surtout  de  la  probite, 
nous  avons  fait  face  a  tout,  remis  tout  au  pair,  et  pendant 
les  dix  annees  qui  avaient  precede  la  guerre  actuelle 
nous  avions  paye  la  moitie  du  capital  de  notre  ancienne 
dette. 

Au  milieu  de  toutes  nos  factions,  n'importe  quel  parti 
ait  gouverne,  le  meme  esprit  les  a  toujours  animes  a  cet 
egard.  Le  meme  esprit  regne  encore;  nous  sommes  tres 

I  understand  that  one  who  is  not  an  American  would  prefer  to  have 
his  fortune  at  the  present  moment  elsewhere  than  in  that  country; 
I  may  myself  be  somewhat  prejudiced  and  under  no  circumstances 
would  I  wish  to  mislead  you.  But  it  is  my  personal  opinion  that  to 
sell  your  investments  at  a  loss  of  15  to  20  per  cent,  would  be  a  useless 
sacrifice.  They  will  probably  fall  still  further  if  the  war  continues, 
but  the  interest  will  always  be  faithfully  paid  and  the  capital  will  be 
back  at  par  six  months  after  peace  is  made.  We  extricated  ourselves 
from  a  worse  position  than  the  present.  At  the  end  of  the  War  of 
Independence  we  had  neither  money  nor  government;  our  population 
did  not  amount  to  more  than  three  and  a  half  millions,  the  country 
was  extremely  poor,  the  national  debt  was  nearly  as  large  as  it  is  at 
present,  and  the  Funds  fell  80  to  85  per  cent.  Nevertheless  we  did 
not  go  bankrupt,  we  did  not  by  a  stroke  of  the  pen  reduce  our  debt 
to  a  third.  By  economy  and,  above  all,  by  honesty,  we  met  every 
obligation,  restored  all  to  par  value,  and  in  the  course  of  the  ten  years 
that  preceded  the  present  war  paid  off  half  of  the  capital  of  our  original 
debt. 

In  the  midst  of  all  our  party  differences,  no  matter  which  party  was 
in  power,  the  same  spirit  as  regards  finance  has  always  animated  our 

42 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1815 

riches;  nous  etions  huit  millions  d'ames  au  commence- 
ment de  la  guerre,  et  la  population  augmente  de  deux  cent 
cinquante  mille  ames  par  an.  Si  je  n'ai  pas  entierement 
meconnu  1'Amerique,  ses  ressources  et  la  moralite  de  sa 
politique,  je  ne  me  trompe  pas  en  croyant  ses  fonds 
publics  plus  solides  que  ceux  de  toutes  les  puissances 
Europeennes.  Si  cependant  vous  avez  peur,  attendez 
du  moins  la  conclusion  de  nos  negociations;  vous  n'avez 
pas  le  temps  de  faire  vendre  avant  cette  e"poque.  Je 
serai  au  reste  encore  quinze  jours  au  moins  a  Gand  et 
donnerai  avec  grand  plaisir  a  M.  votre  fils  tous  les  ren- 
seignements  en  mon  pouvoir  s'il  passe  par  ici  en  allant 
en  Angleterre.  Je  suis  tres  sensible  a  tout  ce  que  vous 
avez  fait  pour  etre  utile  &  PAmerique;  je  sens  encore 
plus  combien  je  vous  dois;  vous  m'avez  re9U  et  acceuilli 
comme  si  j'eusse  ete  une  ancienne  connaissance.  Avant 
de  vous  connaitre  je  respectais  en  vous  Madame  de  Stael 
et  la  fille  de  Madame  Necker,  aux  ecrits  et  a  Pexemple  de 
qui  j'ai  plus  d'obligation  que  je  ne  puis  exprimer.  Mais 
je  vous  avouerai  que  j'avais  grand  peur  de  vous;  une 
femme  tres  elegante  et  aimable  et  le  premier  genie  de 
son  sexe;  Ton  tremblerait  £  moins;  vous  eutes  a  peine 

country.  The  same  spirit  reigns  still.  We  are  very  wealthy;  at  the 
beginning  of  the  war  our  population  stood  at  eight  million  souls  and 
it  increases  at  the  rate  of  250,000  souls  every  year.  If  I  have  not 
utterly  misunderstood  America,  her  resources  and  her  political  morality, 
then  I  am  right  in  believing  that  her  public  funds  are  as  good  a  security 
as  those  of  any  Power  in  Europe.  If  you  are  still  afraid,  at  least 
await  the  conclusion  of  these  negotiations.  You  have  not  time  to 
sell  before.  I  shall  be  staying  at  Ghent  for  another  fortnight  at  least, 
and  will  be  happy  to  give  your  son  all  the  information  in  my  power, 
if  he  passes  by  here  on  his  way  to  England.  I  am  very  sensible  of  all 
the  help  that  you  have  given  to  America;  and  am  yet  more  sensible 
of  what  I  owe  to  you  personally.  You  received  and  welcomed  me 
as  if  I  was  an  old  acquaintance.  Before  I  knew  you  I  respected  in 
you,  Madame  de  Stael,  the  daughter  of  Madame  Necker,  to  whose 
writings  and  example  I  am  under  a  deeper  obligation  than  I  am  able 
to  express.  But  I  will  confess  that  I  was  very  much  afraid  of  you. 
Before  a  woman  so  elegant  and  so  amiable,  and  the  greatest  genius  of 
her  sex — one  could  not  but  tremble.  You  had  hardly  opened  your  lips 

43 


1815]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

ouvert  les  levres  que  je  fus  rassure,  et  en  moins  de  cinq 
minutes  je  me  sentis  aupres  de  vous  comme  avec  une 
amie  de  vingt  ans.  Je  n'aurais  fait  que  vous  admirer, 
mais  votre  bonte  egale  vos  talents  et  c'est  pour  cela  que 
je  vous  aime.  Agreez-en,  je  vous  prie,  Passurance  et 
soyez  sure  du  plaisir  que  me  procurerait  Toccasion  de 
pouvoir  vous  etre  bon  a  quelque  chose. 

ALBERT  GALLATIN. 

ALEXANDER  VON  HUMBOLDT  to  ALBERT  GALLATIN 

JE  n'ai  pas  etc  assez  heureux  pour  vous  trouver  ce 
matin,  mon  illustre  ami.  J'aurais  bien  desire  cependant 
vous  parler  de  mon  attachement  constant  et  tendre,  de 
mon  vif  inter  et  pour  la  paix  que  vous  avez  eu  la  gloire 
de  conclure  dans  des  circonstances  difficiles.  J'aurais 
voulu  vous  feliciter  sur  cette  belle  et  noble  defense  de  la 
Nouvelle-Orleans  qui  fera  respecter  les  armees  de  la 
Liberte.  Comme  les  flottes  qui  voguent  sous  votre 
pavilion  se  sont  couvertes  de  gloire  depuis  longtemps! 
Que  dans  ces  temps  malheureux  mes  yeux  se  fixent  avec 
attendrissement  sur  ces  contrees  qui  seront  bientot  le 
centre  de  la  civilisation  humaine!  Je  ferais  d'autres 
tentatives  pour  vous  trouver  et  recommander  de  nouveau 
Mr.  Warden,  mon  ami  et  celui  de  Messrs.  Berthollet, 
Thenard,  Gay  Lussac,  et  de  tout  ce  qui  aime  les  sciences. 
Je  ne  puis  croire  qu'un  homme  aussi  instruit,  aussi  doux, 
aussi  honnete,  aussi  attache  aux  Etats-Unis,  a  M.  Jeffer- 
son et  aux  doctrines  vertueuses  puisse  etre  rejette 
par  votre  gouvernement.  Je  supplie  Madame  Gallatin 
d'agreer  Thommage  de  mon  respecteux  devouement. 

before  my  confidence  returned,  and  after  five  minutes  in  your  company 
I  felt  that  I  had  been  your  friend  for  twenty  years.  My  admiration 
was  yours  in  any  case.  But  finding  your  kindness  is  only  equalled 
by  your  talents,  I  cannot  but  love  you.  Accept,  I  pray  you,  my 
assurance  of  this,  and  believe  me  when  I  say  that  it  will  always  be  a 
pleasure  to  me  to  serve  you  in  any  way  within  my  power. 

ALBERT  GALLATIN. 
44 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1815 

Quel  contraste  entre  cette  epoque  et  celle  ou  vous  me 
vites  a  Londres  ennuye  des  "Magnanimous  Souverains 
et  de  la  croisade  des  heros!"  * 

HUMBOLDT. 
QUAI  MALAQUAIS,  No.  3. 
Jeudi. 

'ALEXANDER  VON  HUMBOLDT  to  ALBERT  GALLATIN 

I  HAD  not  the  pleasure  of  finding  you  this  morning,  my  noble  friend. 
Nevertheless  I  would  fain  have  spoken  with  you  of  my  constant  and 
sincere  attachment  and  of  my  keen  interest  in  the  peace  which  you 
have  had  the  honour  to  conclude  under  the  most  difficult  circumstances. 
I  would  have  liked  to  congratulate  you  on  your  fine  and  courageous 
defence  of  New  Orleans,  which  will  gain  respect  for  the  armies  of 
Liberty.  The  fleets  which  sail  under  your  Flag  have  indeed  for  long 
covered  themselves  with  glory.  How  tenderly  in  these  unhappy  times 
my  eyes  gaze  on  the  countries  so  soon  to  be  the  centre  of  the  civiliza- 
tion of  the  world.  I  would  make  other  attempts  to  find  you  and  to 
recommend  again  to  your  notice  Mr.  Warden,  my  friend  and  the 
friend  of  Messieurs  Berthollet,  Thenard  and  Gay  Lussac,  as  indeed  he  is 
of  every  friend  of  learning.  I  cannot  believe  that  a  man  so  full  of 
learning,  so  gentle  and  so  honourable,  so  firm  a  friend  of  the  United 
States,  of  Mr.  Jefferson  and  his  virtuous  doctrines,  can  be  rejected 
by  your  Government. 

I  entreat  Madame  Gallatin  to  accept  the  expression  of  my  respectful 
homage  and  devotion. 

What  a  contrast  this  period  presents  to  the  time  when  you  saw  me 
in  London,  weary  of  the  Magnanimous  Sovereigns  and  the  Heroes' 
Crusade. 

HUMBOLDT. 

3  QUAI  MALAQUAIS, 
Thursday. 


45 


PART  II 


FROM  THE  CONCLUSION  OF  THE  TREATY  OF  GHENT 
TO  THE  SIGNATURE  OF  THE  TREATY  OF  COMMERCE 

JANUARY— JULY  1815 

JANUARY  20,  1815:  GENEVA 

We  arrived  here  to-day.  Father  was  very  excited,  as  it 
was  his  first  visit  to  his  native  land  after  so  many  years 
absence. 

We  went  direct  to  the  Gallatin  House.  The  entrance  is 
in  the  Cite,  a  steep  narrow  lane  paved  with  small  round 
cobble-stones.  The  house  faces  on  the  Rue  de  la  Corratrie. 
It  is  very  fine,  and  belongs  to  Monsieur  Naville,  who 
married  the  daughter  and  heiress  of  Count  Paul  Michael 
de  Gallatin,  who  was  the  head  of  the  family.  Our  coat- 
of-arms  in  stone  used  to  be  high  up  over  the  door,  but 
during  the  Revolution  some  miscreants  destroyed  it, 
leaving  only  the  two  lions  the  supporters. 

JANUARY  21 

Crowds  of  visitors  all  day  to  welcome  father.  Madame 
de  Stael  came  from  Coppet.  She  is  not  handsome,  but 
such  a  great  charm  of  manner.  She  was  oddly  dressed, 
seeming  to  have  one  or  two  skirts  on  top  of  the  other,  a 
great  pelisse  of  green  cloth  lined  with  sable,  on  her  head 
a  high  green  caliche.  She  invited  both  father  and  myself 
to  pay  her  a  visit  at  Coppet.  She  is  not  tall,  rather  fat, 
and  has  coarse  features  but  splendid  eyes. 

46 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1815 

JANUARY  22 

This  morning  the  Syndics  came  in  a  body  to  greet 
father  and  to  congratulate  him  on  the  successful  termina- 
tion of  the  Peace  with  England.  Then  Monsieur  Sismondi* 
made  a  discours  full  of  laudation  of  father,  much  to 
the  latter's  annoyance.  After  they  withdrew  Benjamin 
Constant  was  announced;  he  rushed  up  to  father,  seized 
him  in  his  arms,  and  kissed  him  on  both  cheeks.  There 
was  some  excuse  for  him  as  he  is  a  relation  of  ours. 
Large  dinner  of  forty  at  3  o'clock,  nearly  all  rela- 
tives— Navilles,  Saladins,  Sellons,  Sarrasins,  Humberts, 
Diodatis,  de  Budes,  Pictets,  Lullins,  &c.  &c.  I  was 
much  struck  with  their  great  simplicity  and  dignity  of 
manner;  it  was  all  a  revelation  to  me.  The  ladies  were 
very  plainly  dressed  with  hardly  any  jewels.  So  odd, 
they  never  change  your  knife  and  fork  after  the  fish  is 
served,  but  have  little  silver  rests  by  each  plate  for  them. 
The  dinner  lasted  two  hours  and  a  half. 
After  escorting  the  ladies  to  the  drawing-room — where 
all  the  women  kissed  their  hostess,  then  kissed  each 
other,  and  we  men  kissed  their  hands.  All  this  was  done 
in  a  most  solemn  and  dignified  manner — then  our  host, 
knowing  father's  habit,  conducted  him  with  some  of  the 
other  guests  to  the  library  to  smoke. 
Father  smokes  regularly  eleven  strong  cigars  a  day. 
After  about  an  hour  we  adjourned  to  the  large  gallery. 
All  the  ladies  were  seated  stiffly  around  the  room.  Only 
one  person  talked  at  a  time.  It  is  called  a  salon.  It  was 
interesting  at  first,  but  after  three  hours  of  it  I  wished 
myself  in  Paris.  At  9  o'clock  supper  was  announced.  . . . 

JANUARY  23 

All  day  paying  visits;  a  quiet  evening. 

JANUARY  24 

We  go  on  a  tour  of  visits,  starting  on  the  26th.    I  am  in 
love  with  Geneva,  it  is  so  beautiful  although  it  is  winter; 

*  J.  C.  L.  Sismondi,  born  1773,  died  1842,  a  Genevan  and  famous 
historian. 

47 


1815]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

they  tell  me  I  must  see  it  in  summer.  A  large  supper 
to-night — other  members  of  our  family  and  relations, 
together  with  Monsieur  de  Lavalette  and  Monsieur 
Bonstetten.  .  .  . 

JANUARY  25 

A  very  tiring  day,  paying  visits  in  the  morning.  From 
5  till  7  o'clock  one  deputation  followed  the  other  to  greet 
father.  I  think  he  was  bored;  I  know  I  was.  .  .  . 

JANUARY  26 

We  started  at  10  o'clock  and  arrived  at  Chateau  de 
Rozay,  near  Rolle.  My  grandmother  was  a  Mile  Rolaz 
du  Rozay.  The  chateau  is  small  with  turrets,  very 
old  and  very  comfortable.  My  two  du  Rozay  cousins, 
who  are  about  my  age,  are  immensely  tall  and  broad  in 
proportion,  one  being  6  ft.  4  in.,  the  other  an  inch  taller. 
It  seems  that  they  are  always  hunting  chamois  in  the 
mountains.  I  feel  like  a  dwarf  next  to  them.  A  portrait 
of  my  grandmother  as  a  girl,  not  pretty;  but  one  of  her 
sisters  who  married  a  Prussian,  Count  Doenhoff,  is  quite 
lovely;  she  was  Mistress  of  the  Robes  to  the  Queen  of 
Prussia  and  a  famous  beauty.  .  .  . 

JANUARY  28:  CHATEAU  DE  ROZAY 

We    leave    here    to-morrow    and    go    to    the    Chateau 

d'Allaman. 

JANUARY  29:  ALLAMAN 

Allaman,  on  the  Lake  Leman,  belongs  to  Count  Sellon 
(his  mother  was  a  Gallatin).  A  beautiful  castle,  filled 
with  Gobelin  tapestry  and  furniture;  one  room  all  pink 
tapestry.  We  dined  in  the  chapel — 60  ft.  long  and 
30  ft.  wide,  stone  floor.  .  .  . 

JANUARY  30 

The  family  are  charming — four  daughters,   all   young. 

48 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1815 

The  youngest  is  named  Hortense.  The  Queen  Hortense* 
was  her  godmother.  The  latter  has  stopped  for  weeks  at 
Allaman.  They  have  an  authentic  ghost  here,  not  in 
the  house  but  in  the  park;  I  hope  to  see  it  before  I 
leave.  It  is  in  the  form  of  a  monk  reading  a  book.  He 
is  to  be  seen  in  one  of  the  alleys  of  the  wood  approaching; 
as  you  get  quite  close  he  vanishes.  All  the  family  have 
seen  it,  as  well  as  hundreds  of  others.  Monsieur  de  Sellon 
stations  men  with  bill-hooks  at  various  places  to  cut  down 
branches,  as  he  thinks  it  but  an  optical  illusion.  .  .  . 

JANUARY  31 

•  I  saw  the  ghost  at  12.30  to-day.  It  is  certainly  extra- 
ordinary. They  fired  point-blank  at  it  without  any 
effect.  .  .  . 

FEBRUARY  1 

Too  tired  to  write  last  night.  A  beautiful  day,  bright 
sunshine.  We  have  been  skating  all  day.  Our  visit 
terminates  to-morrow.  To-night  a  large  supper  in  honour 
of  Joseph  Bonaparte, f  the  ex-King  of  Spain,  the  eldest 
brother  of  Napoleon.  He  lives  at  Prangins  on  the  lake. 
Monsieur  de  Sellon  had  a  letter  to-day  from  the  Queen 
Hortense — he  read  parts  of  it  aloud  to  us.  Evidently 
she  is  in  great  trouble. 

FEBRUARY  2 

Joseph  Bonaparte  is  handsome — acts  as  if  he  were  still 
King  of  Spain.  He  arrived  with  a  large  suite.  We  were 
presented  to  him  by  the  Count  de  Sellon  before  supper. 
He  had  a  long  conversation  with  father  on  the  state  of 
Europe.  He  is  very  rich.  He  spoke  with  much  feeling 

*  Hortense  de  Beauharnais,  daughter  of  the  Empress  Josephine  by 
her  first  husband,  married  Louis  Bonaparte  January  3,  1802,  was 
Queen  of  Holland  and  mother  of  Napoleon  III. 

t  Joseph,  the  eldest  brother  of  Napoleon,  born  1768,  died  1844,  was 
King  of  Naples  and  King  of  Spain. 

49 


1815]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

of  Napoleon.  He  married  Julie  Clary,  the  daughter  of  a 
Marseilles  tallow-chandler;  she  had  some  money.  Father 
does  not  like  the  Bonapartes  or  their  entourage — says 
Joseph  Bonaparte  shows  his  middle-class  bringing  up 
both  in  speech  and  movements,  that  Napoleon  is  better 
where  he  is.  Although  father  is  representing  a  republic 
and  believes  in  republics,  he  has  a  strong  affection  for 
the  House  of  Bourbon.  We  drove  with  four  horses  and 
postillions  to  the  Chateau  de  Veufflans,  above  Lausanne. 
At  the  bottom  of  the  hill  two  more  horses  were  added, 
sent  by  Monsieur  de  Senarclan.  The  names  are  so  funny. 
Veufflans  is  superb,  built  by  the  Reine  Berthe  in  1000. 
It  is  in  bad  repair;  it  would  cost  over  a  million  francs 
to  restore  it.  After  we  arrived  a  deputation  presented 
an  address  to  father  from  Lausanne  in  the  name  of  the 
Canton  de  Vaud.  .  .  . 

FEBRUARY  3:  VEUFFLANS 

I  went  to-day  to  the  Chateau  de  Chillon,  near  Vevey. 
It  is  most  interesting;  such  a  wonderful  position,  built 
out  into  the  lake.  It  belonged  to  the  Duke  of  Savoy. 
Another  dinner  lasting  two  hours,  some  music,  which 
was  a  relief,  then  talk,  talk,  talk,  and  the  usual  trays 
passed  round,  one  closely  following  the  other.  I  was 
glad  to  get  to  bed.  .  .  . 

FEBRUARY  4 

We  go  to-morrow  to  Sergy,  which  belongs  to  Monsieur 

Pictet,  another  relation.  .  .  . 

FEBRUARY  5 

A  beautiful  house.  Snowing  hard  all  day.  A  very  large 
party  but  of  little  interest.  .  .  . 

FEBRUARY  6 

We  left  here  this  morning  in  a  most  comfortable  sleigh 
for  Coppet;  we  had  three  relays  of  horses,  the  last  sent 

50 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1815 

by  Madame  de  Stael.  This  chateau  is  charming — a 
wonderful  view  of  the  lake  and  mountains,  the  latter 
covered  with  snow.  A  great  many  people  stopping  here. 
We  were  very  tired  after  our  long  cold  drive.  Madame 
de  Stael  most  kind  and  seems  so  genuinely  glad  to  welcome 
us.  Mile  Albertine  de  Stael,  her  daughter,  is  very  pretty 
and  graceful;  she  is  betrothed  to  the  Due  de  Broglie. 
He  looks  very  untidy  and  dull  but  very  much  in  love. 
Auguste  de  Stael,  her  son,  looked  very  serious.  Monsieur 
Benjamin  Constant,  Monsieur  Sismondi,  Due  and 
Duchesse  de  Duras,  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Clermont- 
Tonnerre  (she  is  a  sister  of  Monsieur  de  Sellon),  and 
Monsieur  de  Bonstetten  are  among  the  guests.  Not 
such  a  long  dinner.  Some  music;  then  the  Due  de 
Broglie  and  Mile  de  Stael,  the  Duchesse  de  Duras  and 
Monsieur  de  Montmorency,  danced  a  minuet  with  great 
dignity  and  grace.  As  I  was  very  tired  father  asked 
permission  for  me  to  retire,  so  I  went  to  bed  early. 

FEBRUARY  7:  COPPET 

A  delightful  day.  Up  early.  Had  my  cafe  au  lait  when 
I  met  de  Broglie.  He  kindly  proposed  to  go  with  me 
and  show  me  what  was  to  be  seen  at  Coppet.  He  improves 
on  acquaintance.  Dejeuner  at  11.30.  Madame  de  StaeTs 
first  appearance;  she  does  all  her  correspondence  and 
writing  in  bed.  She  was  most  animated.  Questioned 
father  about  the  proceedings  at  Ghent;  congratulated 
him,  adding:  "I  had  a  letter  from  Milord  Wellington 
this  morning.  He  praises  you,  saying  you  had  used 
great  wisdom  and  tact."  She  told  us  some  funny  stories 
about  Madame  Patterson  Bonaparte,  the  American  wife 
of  King  Jerome,  whose  wit,  beauty,  and  virtue  she 
extolled.  One  story  was  very  funny.*  She  had  given 

*  The  page  in  the  Diary  on  which  this  story  is  written  had  been 
ruined  by  dampness.  In  1869  my  grandfather,  thinking  this  was  the 
story,  wrote  it  on  a  sheet  of  paper,  pasting  it  over  the  ruined  sheet. 
His  memory  must  have  been  at  fault,  as  the  incident  must  have  oc- 
curred much  later.  EDITOR. 

51 


1815]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

a  dinner  at  her  house  in  Geneva,  to  which  Madame 
Bonaparte  was  invited.  Arriving  very  late,  she  delayed 
serving  the  dinner  for  over  half  an  hour.  On  one  side 
of  her  was  a  Mr.  Dundas,  a  great  gourmand,  who  was 
much  put  out  at  having  to  wait.  After  the  soup  had 
been  served  he  turned  to  Madame  Bonaparte  and  asked 
her  if  she  had  read  the  book  of  Captain  Basil  Hall  on 
America.  She  replied  in  the  affirmative.  "  Well,  madame, 
did  you  notice  that  Hall  said  all  Americans  are  vul- 
garians?" "Quite  true,"  calmly  answered  Madame 
Bonaparte,  "I  am  not  in  the  least  surprised.  If  the 
Americans  had  been  the  descendants  of  the  Indians  or 
the  Esquimaux  there  might  have  been  some  reason  to 
be  astonished,  but  as  they  are  the  direct  descendants  of 
the  English  it  is  perfectly  natural  that  they  should  be 
vulgarians."  After  this  Mr.  Dundas  did  not  open  his 
mouth  again  and  left  at  the  first  opportunity. 
This  afternoon  we  went  out  in  Russian  sledges,  six 
of  them. 

The  Marquis  of  Huntly  arrived,  and  we  dined  at  5  o'clock. 
A  most  interesting  evening — our  hostess  most  brilliant. 
She  told  us  many  episodes  of  the  Revolution  and  the 
part  she  had  taken  in  it:  how  she  had  helped  so  many 
of  her  friends  to  escape,  having  armed  herself  with  pass- 
ports of  different  nations;  how  Napoleon  had  persecuted 
her.  She  also  spoke  most  feelingly  of  her  father  with 
tears  in  her  eyes;  it  seems  she  adored  him. 

FEBRUARY  8:  COPPET 

The  Marquis  of  Huntly*  gave  father  a  copy  of  a  letter  given 
to  him  by  Mr.  Barry.  It  is  an  account  of  an  interview 
with  Napoleon  at  Elba — most  interesting.  He  first  read 
it  aloud.  Madame  de  Stael  could  hardly  contain  herself 

*  Marquis  of  Huntly,  born  1743,  died  1827,  afterward  Duke  of 
Gordon.  At  the  command  of  Louis  XV  he  opened  the  ball  at  Versailles 
with  the  Dauphiness,  1770,  and  in  1826,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four,  danced 
with  Madame  de  France,  daughter  of  the  Due  de  Berri. 

52 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1815 

and  continually  interrupted,  exclaiming,  "Get  animal; 
on  devrait  lui  tordre  le  cou."  Lord  Huntly  says  that 
one  of  the  reasons  she  hates  Bonaparte  so  heartily  is, 
when  she  once  asked  him  whom  he  considered  the  greatest 
women  in  history  he  replied,  "The  women  who  had 
the  most  children."  Madame  de  Stael  had  only  two. 

COLONEL  BARRY'S  LETTER  to  THE  MARQUIS  OF 
HUNTLY 

"  Mr.  Douglas*  dined  with  Colonel  Barry  yesterday.  He 
had  just  come  from  the  Island  of  Elba,  where  he  had 
an  audience  of  nearly  two  hours  with  Bonaparte. 
His  account  of  him  is  as  nearly  as  follows: 
On  his  arrival  in  the  island  he  went  to  General  Bertrand 
(who  is  a  sort  of  chamberlain)  to  state  that  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  English  Parliament  and  to  request  permission 
to  pay  his  respects  to  the  Emperor.  General  Bertrand 
was  ill,  but  he  received  a  very  civil  answer  from  General 
Drouet  in  the  affirmative.  He  was  accordingly  intro- 
duced, and  was  received  with  great  courtesy.  Bonaparte 
asked  several  questions  about  his  journey,  and  then, 
to  the  surprise  of  Mr.  D.,  began  to  talk  in  the  most 
unreserved  manner  of  the  state  of  affairs  in  Europe.  He 
said  that  he  lamented  that  the  present  Government  had 
not  given  up  the  slave  trade — that  had  he  remained  in 
power  he  would  have  done  so,  as  it  was  a  system  of 
brigandage  by  which  France  was  not  benefited.  He 
had  proposed  a  plan  for  the  settlement  of  St.  Domingue, 
to  give  up  the  centre  of  the  island  to  the  blacks  and  to 
establish  factories  upon  the  coast.  That  he  had  conceived 
it  would  be  attended  with  advantage  to  allow  polygamy 
amongst  the  blacks,  but  upon  consulting  a  certain  bishop, 
'un  bon  homme,  cet  Eveque  mya  dit:  c'est  contraire  a 
la  religion  Chretienne.'  He  abused  the  Emperor  Alex- 
ander with  great  violence,  said  he  was  'faux  et  un  fat. 

*  Mr.  Douglas  was  an  M.P.,  and  a  violent  anti-Bonapartist. 
58 


1815]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

Vous  ne  pouvez  pas  avoir  une  idee  de  la  faussete  de  cet 
homme.'  We  were  right,  he  said,  in  supposing  that 
there  had  been  secret  articles  in  the  treaty  of  Tilsit. 
Alexander  was  bound  by  them  to  go  to  war  with  England. 
'  Cela  entra  dans  mon  systeme!'  He  said  the  Bourbons 
would  repent  it  if  they  gave  up  Belgique. 
That  he  would  have  given  up  anything  else,  but  that 
he  knew  the  French  people  would  not  allow  him  to 
remain  on  the  throne  except  as  a  conqueror.  France 
would  not  bear  to  be  confined  to  her  ancient  limits.  He 
compared  her  to  air  compressed  within  too  small  a 
compass,  the  explosion  of  which  was  like  thunder. 
*  Malheur  aux  Bourbons  si  jamais  Us  font  la  paix  sans 
conserver  aucune  conquete;  il  y'a  dans  la  France  une 
jeunesse  bouillante  de  100,000  hommes  accoutumes  au 
metier  de  la  guerre.9  He  was  here  evidently  carried 
away  by  his  subject  and,  suddenly  recollecting  himself, 
said:  'Mais  ce  n'est  pas  mon  affaire — je  suis  mort.' 
In  the  course  of  conversation  Prince  Metternich  was 
mentioned,  and  Mr.  D.  said,  'C'est  un  bon  politique.' 
Bonaparte  answered:  '  Non,  c'est  un  homme  ires 
aimable  et  qui  parle  ires  bien  en  compagniet  mais  qui 
ment  toujours;  on  peut  mentir  une  fois,  deux  fois,  trois 
fois,  mais  on  ne  peut  pas  mentir  toujours,  ce  n'est  pas  selon 
ma  politique.'  England  was,  he  said,  at  the  height  of 
her  power  and  glory,  but  that  we  must  remember  that 
when  nations  were  arrived  at  that  point  it  was  said 
they  were  near  a  decline.  That  the  Continental  Powers 
were  jealous  of  our  maritime  rights  and  in  time  of  peace 
would  be  as  much  so  as  they  had  been  of  his  territorial 
acquisitions. 

He  laughed  and  joked  a  great  deal  about  the  Pope 
and  the  tricks  he  had  played  to  get  him  in  his  power, 
constantly  repeating,  'Moi  qui  suis  le  meilleur  Catholique 
du  monde;  il  n'y  a  pas  dans  le  monde  un  meilleur 
Catholique  que  moi,'  and  sentiments  of  this  sort.  He 
said  he  understood  the  world  had  expected  that  he  would 

54 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1815 

have  put  a  pistol  to  his  head,  but  no,  he  had  been  born 
a  soldier;  had  found  the  "Throne  de  France"  vacant, 
circumstances  had  placed  him  on  it,  that  he  had  remained 
there  fourteen  years,  and  had  been  obliged  to  descend 
from  it.  Having  borne  this  'ce  serait  un  Idche  qui  ne 
pourrait  pas  soutenir  V existence'  He  was  sorry,  he  said, 
at  the  close  of  the  last  campaign,  when  he  had  advanced 
to  Ville  Juis,  he  had  not  pushed  on  to  Paris.  He 
had  40,000  of  his  guards  with  him  who  would  have 
shed  the  last  drop  of  blood  for  him,  and  he  thinks  his 
presence  would  have  raised  the  people  to  defend  the 
town — he  wanted  so  much  to  do  so  but  was  dissuaded 
by  his  generals.  He  complained  bitterly  of  Marmont. 
'Could  you  have  believed  it  that  a  man  to  whom  I  have 
actually  given  bread  would  have  deserted  me  in  that 
manner?'  he  said;  that  we  had  not  done  justice  to  the 
Americans;  that  there  had  never  been  any  treaty  between 
him  and  Madison,  and  they  had  held  as  high  language 
to  him  as  they  had  done  to  us.  Mr.  D.  had  crossed  the 
Alps  by  the  passage  of  the  Simplon,  one  of  the  most 
splendid  works  of  Bonaparte's  reign;  hearing  it,  he 
made  many  inquiries  about  the  state  of  the  road,  and 
appeared  minutely  acquainted  with  it  and  interested  on 
the  subject.  This  is  almost  all  I  can  recollect,  nearly 
the  whole  of  what  Mr.  D.  related  to  us.  He  says  Bona- 
parte is  in  excellent  health — not  too  fat,  as  he  had  been 
told;  very  dirty  and  vulgar  in  his  manner  of  speaking 
and  extremely  poor. 

The  French  Government  have  not  paid  him  his  pension, 
and  in  consequence  he  has  been  obliged  to  reduce  his 
household  one-half.  He  had  1200  troops  in  his  pay, 
mostly  veterans  who  had  followed  his  fortunes  from  the 
Imperial  Guards.  Mr.  D.  says  his  apparent  want  of 
feeling  is  beyond  anything  he  could  have  conceived. 
He  could  not  learn  anything  on  the  subject  of  the  reports 
that  he  was  to  leave  Elba.  Some  time  ago  a  felucca 
landed  in  one  of  the  most  barren  parts  of  the  island  and 

55 


1815]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

a  messenger  was  dispatched  to  Bonaparte;  he  rame 
down  unattended  by  any  servant  and  received  a  lady, 
whom  he  conducted  to  a  country  house  of  his.  She 
remained  there  two  days,  at  the  end  of  which,  tim 
reconducted  her  in  the  same  manner.  They  embraced 
often  at  parting.  The  Elbans  think  it  was  Marie  Louise, 
but  it  is  generally  supposed  to  have  been  a  Polish  lady 
to  whom  he  was  attached. 

Mr.  Douglas  in  the  course  of  conversation  two  or  three 
times  mentioned  the  Empress,  whom  he  had  seen  in 
Switzerland,  but  Bonaparte  took  no  notice  of  it  and 
appeared  anxious  to  avoid  the  subject." 

NOTE  ON  ORIGINAL  BY  ALBERT  GALLATIN 
Mr.  Douglas's  conversation  with  Bonaparte  given  to  me  at  Geneva  in 
February,  1815,  by  the  Marquis  of  Huntly,  since  Duke  of  Gordon.  .  .  . 

A.  a. 

Diary  continued : 
FEBRUARY  8 

After  dinner  Albertine  de  Stael  sang  some  charming 
chansonettes,  accompanying  herself  on  a  spinet.  All 
the  chairs  were  put  in  a  circle  and  Madame  de  Stael 
held  forth.  She  read  some  letters  of  Louis  XVIII  when 
he  was  in  England.  She  also  told  us  that  it  was  a  fact 
that  the  Due  de  Berri  had  married  in  London  the 
daughter  of  an  English  clergyman  and  had  children. 
Then  Monsieur  Bonstetten  gave  a  little  discourse  on 
Voltaire  and  Byron,  followed  by  Monsieur  Sigismond*. 
Then  father  gave  a  most  amusing  account  of  his  early  life 
in  America  and  of  his  first  meeting  with  General  Washing- 
ton in  a  log-cabin.  I  saw  Madame  de  S.  taking  notes 
on  her  tablets. 

FEBRUARY  9:  COPPET 

This  morning  Lord  Huntly  described  the  splendours  of 
the  ball  at  Versailles  for  the  marriage  of  the  Dauphin 
Louis  XVI;  that  the  King  sent  for  him  and  commanded 
him  to  open  the  ball  with  Dauphine  "  Marie  Antoinette." 

56 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1815 

He  saw  how  delighted  I  was  and  sent  for  me  to  come  to 
his  room.  He  gave  me  two  of  the  invitation  cards;* 
they  are  beautifully  engraved.  One  is  in  colour,  and  in 
the  top  left-hand  corner  there  is,  "Porte  et  gradins  a 
gauche";  in  the  centre  of  the  coloured  design  is  "Bal  pare 
a  Versailles  pour  le  manage  de  Monseigneur  Le  Dauphin, 
Le  Mercredi,  24.  Fenrier,  1745,"  signed  in  the  right-hand 
corner  "De  Bonneval."  The  other  onef  is  beautifully 
engraved,  is  larger,  and  has  the  same  wording.  It  was 
most  kind  of  him.  A  large  dinner  at  5  o'clock,  to  be 
1  olio  wed  by  a  comedy  written  by  our  hostess.  She  takes 
a  r61e  as  well  as  Monsieur  de  Montmorency.  After 
Breakfast  Madame  de  Stael  told  father  she  believed  greatly 
:i  heredity;  undoubtedly  he  had  inherited  his  talent  for 
nance  from  their  common  ancestor  Jacques  Coeur.J 
lore  people  arriving,  I  made  my  escape,  and  had  a  good 
a  /ternoon's  skating.  The  banquet  is  at  5  o'clock.  We 
are  leaving  to-morrow,  much  to  my  regret. 

FEBRUARY  10:  COPPET 

I  was  too  tired  last  night  to  write.  I  can  hardly  describe 
last  evening's  festivities.  Our  hostess  received  her  guests 
at  the  end  of  the  large  salon — the  Due  and  Duchesse 

*The  card  printed  in  colour  is  for  the  marriage  of  the  father  of 
Louis  XVI.  Signed  de  Bonneval,  who  was  "1'intendant  des  menus 
plaisirs  du  Roi." 

f  The  second  card  mentioned  above  is  for  the  ball  for  the  marriage 
in  1770  of  the  Dauphin,  afterward  Louis  XVI,  and  is  not  signed. 

t  Jacques  Cceur,  celebrated  financier  of  the  fifteenth  century. 
Born  at  Bourges,  died  at  Ohio  November  25,  1456.  He  lent  immense 
sums  of  money  to  the  King  Charles  VII  of  France.  His  reward  was 
to  be  arrested  on  a  charge  of  poisoning  Agnes  Sorel,  the  King's  mistress. 
j'e  was  condemned  to  a  long  imprisonment — this  gave  the  King  an 
excuse  to  seize  the  remainder  of  his  property  and  fortune.  Escaping 
urter  several  years  of  imprisonment  he  went  to  Rome  and  was  taken 
u  ider  the  protection  of  the  Pope  Nicholas  V.  He  made  another 
enormous  fortune  by  opening  the  trade  of  the  East.  Both  Madame  de 
and  Albert  Gallatin  were  descended  from  him. 

57 


1815]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

de  Clermont-Tonnerre  (she  was  nee  de  Sellon),  Count  and 
Countess  Cavour,  Comtesse  de  Boigne,  and  a  host  of 
others.  We  dined  thirty.  At  8  o'clock  more  arrivals: 
Prince  Demidoff  in  a  superb  sleigh  with  eight  horses 
harnessed  in  Russian  fashion;  he  brought  the  Grand 
Duke  of  Mecklenburg-Schwerin,  Princess  Patiomkin, 
Princess  Galitzin,  and  Madame  Bonaparte.  The  Grand 
Duke  led  in  Madame  Bonaparte.  She  is  quite  beautiful 
still,  was  wonderfully  dressed,  and  covered  in  fine  jewels. 
She  kissed  me  on  both  cheeks,  which  made  me  very  shy, 
but  she  has  known  me  since  I  was  a  child. 
At  9  o'clock  the  comedy  was  played  in  the  long  gallery. 
It  was  most  witty.  Madame  de  Stael  was  in  white  and 
gold  draperies,  with  a  turban  with  eight  or  ten  white 
feathers.  She  really  looked  handsome.  She  always  has 
a  small  branch  of  laurel  in  her  hand.  At  the  end  of  the 
performance,  with  a  curtsey  she  threw  it  to  father — just 
the  thing  to  annoy  him.  Madame  Bonaparte  gave  me  a 
brooch  of  turquoise  for  my  choker.  Supper  was  served 
at  10.30,  and  the  guests  did  not  leave  until  after  1.30  A.M. 
We  leave  at  2  o'clock  for  Sacconex  (the  de  Budes).  I 
watched  father  carefully  and  tried  to  do  exactly  as  he 
did.  All  the  ladies  curtseyed  down  to  the  ground  to 
H.R.H.;  some  of  the  older  ones  I  thought  would  never 
get  up  again.  Why  will  fat  old  ladies  wear  such  low 
waists?  I  never  kissed  so  many  hands  in  my  life,  and 
my  neck  is  quite  stiff  with  bowing. 

FEBRUARY  10 

We  left  Coppet  after  dejeuner.  Prince  Demidoff  kindly 
offered  to  take  us  with  him,  as  he  was  going  back  to 
Geneva  and  Sacconex  is  on  his  way.  His  sleigh  is  superb; 
all  the  rugs  are  of  the  finest  Russian  sable.  All  assembled 
in  the  hall  to  bid  us  farewell.  Madame  de  Stael  kissed 
me  on  both  cheeks  and  gave  me  a  beautifully  bound  copy 
of  "Corinne"  with  the  dedication  "A  Cupidon  de  la 
part  de  I'auteur."  I  really  must  look  a  baby.  I  will 

58 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1815 

never  forget  my  visit  to  Coppet.  We  had  eight  horses 
harnessed  Russian  fashion,  three  relays.  Galloped  all 
the  way.  .  .  . 

FEBRUARY  11:  SACCONEX 

This  is  a  lovely  house  and  all  are  so  kind.     M.  de  Bude 

is  a  cousin  of  father's.     There  are  two  sons — Jules,  the 

younger,  full  of  life.     We  have  been  skating.  .  .  . 

A  large  dinner,  rather  dull.  .  .  . 

For  three  mortal  hours  in  the  drawing-room  footmen 

passed  tray  after  tray  of  sirops,  wine  cakes,   &c.   &c. 

People  here  never  seem  to  stop  eating. 

Byron  called   Madame  de   Stael    "old   Mother   Stale," 

but  nevertheless  he  said  of  her  "  she  is  vain,  but  who  has 

better  right  to  be."  .  .  . 

FEBRUARY  13:  GENEVA 

We  returned  here  to-day  and  are  stopping  at  the  Naville's. 
Father  learned  to-day  that  at  one  time  it  was  the  inten- 
tion of  the  British  Government  to  send  the  Duke  of  Wel- 
lington to  America,  during  the  Ghent  negotiations,  to 
terminate  the  war.  It  seems  he  refused  to  go,  giving 
his  reason  that  he  could  not  be  spared,  and  at  the  same 
time  expressing  his  displeasure  at  the  way  Lords  Castle- 
reagh,  Liverpool,  and  Bathurst  were  acting.  It  seemu 
it  was  mainly  due  to  him  that  the  English  made  the 
concessions  they  did  and  brought  the  matter  to  a  speedy 
termination.  .  .  . 

FEBRUARY  14 

Father  takes  me  alone  with  him  to-morrow  to  spend  the 
day  at  Ferney.  He  calls  it  a  pilgrimage.  He  was  often 
taken  to  see  Voltaire  by  his  grandmother  when  very 
young.  This  afternoon  a  deputation  of  Americans  resid- 
ing in  Geneva  and  the  Canton  de  Vaud  presented  father 
with  an  address  enclosed  in  a  beautiful  casket  of  enamel. 
We  dined  quietly  en  families 

59 


1815]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 
FEBRUARY  15 

Such  an  interesting  day.  Sitting  in  Voltaire's  favourite 
chair  at  Ferney,  I  am  writing  this.  We  left  Geneva 
early,  arriving  here  for  dejeuner  at  11.30.  The  owners 
of  Ferney  are  away,  but  left  orders  we  were  to  be  enter- 
tained. The  house  is  not  large,  but  well  situated  and 
comfortable.  During  dejeuner  father  told  me  how  he 
used  to  be  brought  by  his  grandmother  to  Ferney;  that 
he  often  dined  at  the  tables  we  were  sitting  at  with  the 
friends  of  Voltaire — the  Marquis  de  Condorcet,*  who 
wrote  the  letters  of  Junius  to  William  Pitt  (he  was 
arrested  in  April  1794  and  found  dead  in  his  cell  at 
Bourg  la  Reine  on  April  8,  poisoned  by  opium,  which 
he  always  carried  in  a  ring,  so  cheating  the  guillotine); 
the  Abbe  Galiani,  the  great  wit  and  raconteur,  whose 
indecent  stories  even  Madame  Necker  forgave  (it  was 
he  who  said  the  death  of  Marie  Theresa  was  "like 
an  ink-bottle  spilt  on  the  map  of  Europe")*  Diderot 
the  atheist,  and  Grimm.  He  said,  "  I  feel  them  hovering 
around  us  now,  and  can  nearly  hear  their  voices." 
Then  he  told  me  of  visits  when  Voltaire  read  some 
new  play  aloud,  or  rehearsed  with  the  Due  de  Villar  and 
Madame  Gallatin  (his  grandmother) — plays  that  were 
acted  both  at  Ferney  and  Pregny;  in  fact,  he  himself 
had  taken  the  role  of  a  negro  boy  in  Oriental  dress  when 
he  was  twelve  years  old.  One  Sunday  Voltaire  took 
him  into  the  garden  and,  pointing  to  the  heavens,  said, 
"That  is  the  dome  made  by  the  great  God — not  the  God 
created  by  man."  There  was  a  splendid  sunset,  and 
as  the  sun  sank  behind  the  Vosges  Mountains  he  said: 
"Can  anything  be  grander  than  that? — never  to  be 
imitated." — "  When  I  was  older  he  impressed  upon  me 
always  to  be  charitable  in  thought  and  action,  to  benefit 
my  fellow-creatures  as  much  as  was  within  my  power, 
always  to  speak  the  truth,  and  never  to  be  afraid  to  give 

*  Jean  Antoine  Nicolas  de  Caritat,  Marquis  de  Condorcet,  born  1743, 
died  1794. 

60 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1815 

my  opinion."     The  last  time  father  saw  him  he  was  ill; 

it  was  in  1778,  the  year  before  he  died.     He  kissed  father 

on  both  cheeks  and  said,  "  Enfin  Dieu  m'appelle — mais 

quel  Dieu.     Je  n'en  sais  rien."     Madame  de  la  Vilette, 

his  niece,  gave  father  a  small  bust  of  her  uncle,  which  I 

now  have.  .  .  . 

Before    leaving    Ferney    I    picked    some    myrtle-leaves 

and  pensees  to  send  to  my  mother.  .  .  . 

After  dining  at  4  o'clock  we  returned  to   Geneva — a 

day  never  to  be  forgotten.    I  am  afraid  my  description 

is  very  poor. 

Father  is  giving  sittings  to  Madame  Meunier  Romilly 

for  a  portrait  for  Geneva.  .  .  . 

FEBRUARY  16 

To-day  I  visited  St.  Pierre,  the  cathedral,  also  the  temple, 
and  saw  the  tablet  to  the  victories  of  the  Escalade  in 
1602.  There  was  a  Louis  Gallatin  killed.  .  .  . 

FEBRUARY  17 

We  went  to  Pregny,  where  father  was  born.  This  house, 
together  with  all  my  father's  property,  was  sold  by  his 
trustees  during  the  Revolution  at  great  sacrifice.  They 
thought  they  were  acting  wisely  in  such  troubled  times. 
I  went  to  see  father's  portrait.  She  will  only  have 
time  to  paint  the  head  and  hands,  the  remainder  from 
a  model.  It  looks  too  old  to  me. 

FEBRUARY  18 

We  paid  a  visit  to  Madame  Recamier,  who  is  passing 
through  Geneva.  She  is  beautiful,  but  I  could  not  see 
great  intelligence  in  her  face;  great  charm  of  manner. 
We  also  called  on  Madame  Patterson  Bonaparte.  She 
was  very  witty  and  made  father  laugh.  She  told  us  how 
she  first  met  her  husband,  Jerome  Bonaparte.  He  had 
gone  to  America  in  command  of  a  ship,  arriving  at 
Baltimore.  He  was  invited  to  dine  with  an  old  French- 

61 


1815]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

man,  the  Marquis  de  Poleon,  who  had  escaped  with  his 
family  from  St.  Domingo  during  the  massacre  on  that 
island;  two  of  his  children  with  their  nurses  were  killed. 
On  account  of  the  troubled  state  of  France,  he  had 
thought  it  wiser  to  go  to  America.  All  the  beauties  of 
Baltimore  were  invited  to  the  dinner — the  Catons,* 
&c.  &c.  She  was  looking  out  of  the  window  overlooking 
the  drive  with  Monsieur  de  Poleon's  eldest  daughter. 
She  continued:  "We  saw  two  young  men  approaching 
the  house.  Mile  Pascault  exclaimed,  pointing  to  the 
taller  one,  'That  man  will  be  my  husband.'  I  answered, 
'Very  well,  I  will  marry  the  other  one.'  Strangely 
enough,  we  both  did  as  we  had  said.  Henrietta  Pascault 
married  Reubell,  son  of  one  of  the  three  directors,  and 
I  married  Jerome  Bonaparte";  adding,  "Had  I  but 
waited,  with  my  beauty  and  wit  I  would  have  married 
an  English  duke,  instead  of  which  I  married  a  Corsican 
blackguard." 

We  leave  to-morrow,  much  to  father's  regret.  He  feels 
it  is  his  duty  to  go  to  England  as  soon  as  possible,  as 
there  is  so  much  to  discuss  and  settle.  This  has  been 
his  holiday.  A  large  supper  of  fifty  to-night,  nearly  all 
relations.  I  liked  them,  austere  as  they  were,  as  they 
are  so  fond  of  father  and  proud  of  him. 

FEBRUARY  19:  BELGARDE 

We  left  at  8  o'clock  this  morning.  Prince  Demidoff 
sent  his  sleigh  and  had  arranged  for  four  relays  of  horses. 
Even  at  that  early  hour  most  of  our  relations  came  to 
wish  us  "God-speed."  Father  was  touched,  I  could  see 
it  by  his  eyes.  This  is  our  first  halting-place.  After  all, 
Madame  Meunier  had  only  time  to  paint  the  head  and 
one  hand,  which  is  holding  a  roll  of  paper,  symbolic  of 
the  treaty. 

*  The  three  beautiful  Miss  Catons.  One  married  the  Duke  of  Leeds. 
Another  the  Marquis  of  Wellesley,  brother  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington, 
and  the  third  Lord  Stratford. 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1815 

FEBRUARY  20:  BELGARDE 

I  got  up  early  and  went  to  see  the  "Bouche  du  Rhone." 
The  river  disappears  for  over  three  miles  under  stone.  .  .  . 

FEBRUARY  23:  MACON 

We  arrived  here  late  last  night.  A  charming  old  town. 
It  is  the  great  wine  country.  .  .  . 

FEBRUARY  25:  DIJON 

Not  very  interesting.     Still  the  wine  country.  .  .  . 

FEBRUARY  28:  FONTAINEBLEAU 

What  a  beautiful  place !  We  are  lodged  in  an  inn 
opposite  the  palace  gates.  I  went  over  the  chateau; 
it  is  full  of  interest,  of  Henry  II,  Diane  de  Poitiers, 
&c.  &c.  I  was  shown  the  apartment  that  Napoleon 
gave  to  the  Pope  when  he  made  him  prisoner.  The 
Pope  would  not  allow  a  divorce  between  King  Jerome  and 
his  wife;  that  was  one  of  the  reasons  he  brought  him 
to  Fontainebleau,  as  he  himself  wanted  to  divorce 
Josephine.  .  .  . 

MARCH  1:  PARIS 

We  started  early  and  arrived  for  breakfast  at  Vaux 
Praslin,  a  magnificent  palace  belonging  to  the  Due  de 
Choiseul.  It  was  built  by  Fouquet,  Marquis  de  Belle- 
Isle,  Superintendent  of  Finances  to  Louis  XIV.  He 
entertained  the  King  there  in  great  splendour.  .  .  .  The 
Due  received  us  most  kindly.  He  is  a  connexion  through 
the  Birons  and  Marmiers.  I  never  saw  such  wonderful 
furniture,  tapestries,  pictures,  &c.  &c.  The  library 
superb;  all  the  books  bound  in  red  morocco  with  coat- 
of-arms  in  gold.  Only  the  family  and  a  nice  homely 
dejeuner.  Then  father  returned  with  the  Due  to  the 
library  to  smoke  and  to  get  some  political  information 
from  him.  We  left  at  3  o'clock  for  Paris  and  arrived 
late.  .  .  . 

Oh,  beautiful  Paris !    I  am  so  glad  to  get  back.  .  .  . 

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1815]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

MARCH  2:  PARIS 

The  Due  de  Choiseul  Praslin  called  to-day  and  told  father 
his  Majesty  wished  for  an  interview  unofficial.  It  is  a 
delicate  matter,  as  father  feels,  until  he  has  been  to 
London,  that  his  mouth  is  closed.  .  .  . 
We  are  lodged  in  a  quiet  little  hotel  in  the  Rue  de 
Monsieur.  Father  will  not  spend  any  money  unneces- 
sarily as  his  expenses  are  paid  by  his  Government.  His 
strong  idea  is  that  the  representative  of  a  republic  should 
not  make  any  show  or  be  ostentatious,  saying,  "It  is 
only  the  vulgar  nouveaux  riches  that  do  that."  .  .  . 

MARCH  3,  1815 

We  were  received  privately  this  morning  by  the  King. 
Only  the  Duchesse  d'Angoul6me  was  present.  She 
looked  very  sad. 

The  King  moved  to  the  embrasure  of  a  window, 
motioning  to  father  to  follow  him;  they  remained  in 
conversation  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  Amongst  other 
things  his  Majesty  intimated  a  wish  that  father  would 
be  sent  as  Minister  to  Paris,  adding,  "You  must  not 
forget  that  your  family  belonged  to  France  before  you 
belonged  to  America."  The  Duchess  talked  to  me 
most  graciously,  asked  me  about  my  mother,  and  said, 
"You  are  too  young  to  begin  political  life."  I  assured 
her  I  was  seventeen.  She  exclaimed,  "Mais  c'est  un 
Mbt."  .  .  . 

Monsieur  David,  the  great  artist,  has  requested  father 
to  allow  me  to  pose  to  him  for  Cupid.  Father  has 
consented,  and  I  sit  to-morrow.  .  .  . 

MARCH  4,  1815 

A  day  of  great  excitement.    News  has  reached  Paris  that 

Napoleon  had  made  his  escape  from  Elba  and  was  at  a 

little  village  called  Cannes;  that  he  had  been  received 

with  acclamation. 

The  King  and  Royal  Family  went  to  the  opera  and 

had  a  great  reception.  .  .  . 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1815 

MARCH  5 

Great  consternation.  Courier  after  courier  arriving; 
all  news  suppressed.  .  .  . 

MARCH  6,  1815 

No  news  further  than  we  had  yesterday.  They  say  the 
King  is  very  calm.  I  saw  him  driving  in  state  to-day.  .  .  . 
Sat  for  my  portrait — that  is,  like  a  model,  I  had  to 
pose  nude.  .  .  . 

MARCH  10 

The  Emperor  is  marching  on  Paris,  gathering  men  on 
his  way.  Some  say  he  has  already  one  hundred  thou- 
sand. .  .  . 

MARCH  11 

All  sorts  of  wild  reports:  one  does  not  know  what  to 
believe.  .  .  . 

MARCH  14 

The  Emperor  was  at  Grenoble  on  the  7th  with  over 
one  hundred  thousand  men.  .  .  . 

MARCH  16 

The  Emperor  marching  steadily  on  to  Paris — acclaimed 
everywhere.  Father  says  the  Royal  Family  will  leave 
Paris  in  a  few  days.  He  has  private  information,  but 
has  not  told  me  any  details.  I  walk  about  all  day. 
Bands  of  young  men  shouting  "Vive  1'Empereur."  It 
is  very  exciting.  .  .  . 

MARCH  19 

The  King  and  Royal  Family  leave  Paris  to-night.  The 
Emperor,  with  a  huge  army,  is  expected  at  Fontainebleau 
to-morrow.  The  people  in  the  streets  look  depressed 
and  uncertain  what  to  do.  Father  has  told  me  to  remain 
indoors.  .  .  . 

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1815]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

MARCH  20:  PARIS,  11.30 

The  Emperor  arrived  this  evening;  most  of  the  Imperial 
Family  were  at  the  Tuilleries  to  greet  him.  All  day  the 
greatest  confusion — officers  and  their  staff,  couriers, 
messengers,  &c.,  galloping  wildly  about  the  streets. 
Great  carts  of  baggage  and  furniture.  It  is  very  amusing: 
most  of  the  shops  closed,  the  cafes  crammed,  chairs  even 
put  out  in  the  streets.  Orators  standing  on  tables 
making  speeches;  roars  of  "Vive  PEmpereur,"  "Vive 
le  petit  Caporal."  I  don't  know  if  it  is  genuine  or  not, 
the  French  are  so  excitable.  The  American  Minister 
sent  the  Stars  and  Stripes  for  father  to  hang  on  the 
balcony,  for  protection  in  case  of  trouble.  I  saw  the 
Emperor  arrive,  thousands  and  thousands  cheering  him. 
I  got  wedged  in  the  crowd  and  carried  along  with  it.  ... 

MARCH  21 

People  seem  mad  with  joy.  What  turncoats  the  French 
are  I  Dense  crowds  surrounding  the  Tuilleries  all  day. 
I  saw  several  of  the  Imperial  Family  driving.  .  .  . 

MARCH  22 

There  is  to  be  a  gala  performance  at  the  opera — the  night 

not  yet  decided  upon.     The  Emperor  drove  out  to-day 

and  was  received  with  enthusiasm  everywhere. 

We  are  leaving  shortly  for  London.     Father  fears  there 

may  be  trouble,  which  might  delay  our  journey.  .  .  . 

MARCH  23 

The  performance  at  the  opera  to-night.    I  am  going.  .  .  . 

MARCH  24 

The  scene  was  superb.     For  fully  twenty  minutes  the 
audience  yelled  when  the  Emperor  appeared;  I  yelled  too. 
He  is  fat,  looks  very  dull,  tired,  and  bored. 
I  had  another  sitting  to-day  for  Monsieur  David. 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1815 

MARCH  25 

We  see  but  few  people;  all  our  friends  seem  to  vanish 

like  magic. 

A  distracted  letter  from  Madame  de  Stael  to-day.     She 

seems   in   great   trouble   about   everything,  particularly 

her  fortune. 

Father  will  answer  her  under  cover  to  Monsieur  Naville, 

as  he  fears  a  letter  addressed  to  her  might  not  reach 

her.  .  .  . 

MARCH  26 

The  people  are  settling  down  as  far  as  one  can  see.  Father, 
through  Monsieur  David,  has  bought  one  or  two  beautiful 
pictures  at  a  very  low  sum — a  head  of  a  "Madonna" 
on  wood  panel  cut  out  of  a  large  picture  by  Murillo,  a 
fine  Paolo  Veronese,  the  subject  Queen  Esther  before 
Ahasuerus,  a  portrait  of  Mile  de  Lafayette  by  Mignard, 
and  a  lovely  head  by  Greuze.  I  don't  think  father  will 
approve  of  my  picture  Monsieur  David  is  painting;  it 
is  IS  Amour  et  Psyche.  I  have  not  seen  the  model  but 
would  like  to.  She  must  be  very  pretty,  only  seventeen. 
We  are  not  to  pose  together.  .  .  . 

MARCH  28 

My  last  sitting,  as  we  leave  for  England  in  a  few  days. 

MARCH  29 

The  Emperor  sent  an  aide-de-camp  requesting  an  inter- 
view with  father,  purely  on  some  financial  matters.  It 
places  him  in  a  most  awkward  position;  he  regrets  he 
did  not  leave  for  England  sooner.  .  .  . 

MARCH  30 

The  audience  at  10.30  this  morning.  I  am  not  to  go. 
Father  was  not  at  all  pleased  with  his  interview.  He 
says  the  Emperor  was  brusque — that  his  speech  is  most 
vulgar.  Joseph  Bonaparte  was  present.  I  had  better 
quote  father's  own  words:  "The  Emperor  first  asked 
my  advice  on  important  financial  matters,  to  which  I 

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1815]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

gave  my  frank  opinion.  He  then  began  to  question  ine 
about  Canada,  also  the  slave  trade.  I  replied,  'Sire, 
my  position  is  such  that  on  these  subjects  my  lips  are 
at  present  sealed.'  He  abruptly  said,  'Then  why  did 
you  come  here?'  Bowing,  I  answered,  'I  obeyed  your 
Majesty's  command  out  of  respect  for  the  ruler  of  France, 
but  as  an  envoy  from  the  United  States  to  England  I 
am  not  my  own  master.'  The  Emperor,  turning  his 
back  on  me,  walked  to  a  window;  I  having  backed  out 
of  the  room,  so  ended  our  interview."  .  .  . 

MARCH  31 

We  are  leaving  to-morrow  for  London.  Father  thinks 
it  is  wiser.  .  .  . 

APRIL  1:  PARIS 

We  could  not  start  after  all — some  difficulty  about  our 
passports.  It  seems  we  cannot  leave  until  the  3rd. 
Father  is  much  put  out.  He  had  a  letter  to-day  from 
Lord  Castlereagh.  Mr.  Adams  is  Minister  to  England. 
I  will  be  very  glad  to  see  him  again.  .  .  . 

APRIL  2 

I  saw  the  Emperor  to-day  riding  with  a  great  staff  of 
officers.  He  certainly  has  a  most  powerful  face.  I 
went  to  the  Fran£ais  last  night.  We  leave  early  to- 
morrow. .  .  . 

APRIL  3:  MANTES 

Our  first  stopping-place.  Arrived  in  time  to  go  to  bed. 
Ugly  country.  ...  I  wrote  a  long  letter  home,  as  father 
has  an  offer  to  take  letters  from  le  Havre.  .  .  . 

APRIL  4:  LES  ANDELYS 

A  long  weary  day.  There  was  some  mistake  about  our 
relay  of  horses  and  we  were  detained  three  hours.  We 
go  by  Rouen,  as  father  wants  me  to  see  the  cathedral. 
He  need  not  arrive  in  London  until  the  10th.  .  .  . 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1815 

APRIL  5:  ROUEN 

Arrived  here  too  late  to  see  anything.  .  .  . 

APRIL  6:  ROUEN 

I  have  been  all  over  the  cathedral;  it  is  very  beautiful. 
Joan  of  Arc  was  burned  here.  We  leave  at  11 
o'clock.  .  .  . 

APRIL  7:  LE  HAVRE 

We  embarked  at  once.  Awfully  rough.  Such  a  miserable 
little  packet !  Only  one  cabin,  and  horrid  odours  of 
onions  frying.  I  have  gone  under.  .  .  . 

APRIL  9:  DOVER 

An  awful  passage.  Father  has  posted  up  to  London, 
leaving  me  here  to  recover.  I  will  leave  to-morrow.  .  .  . 

APRIL  10:  LONDON 

We  have  been  lent  such  a  nice  house  in  St.  James's 
Street  and  all  the  servants.  I  have  not  seen  father 
yet.  .  .  . 

APRIL  11 

Mr.  Adams  does  not  arrive  to  take  up  his  post  until 
next  month. 

Mr.  Bayard  is  appointed  Minister  to  Russia  but  he  is 
too  ill  to  accept  it.  He  is  in  Paris.  .  .  . 

APRIL  12 

I  am  very  busy  now  as  I  have  all  sorts  of  documents  to 
copy  and  file.  I  also  have  to  go  with  father  to  take 
notes.  All  settling  of  negotiations  is  at  present  entirely 
carried  out  by  him,  so  the  work  is  very  heavy.  Lord 
Castlereagh  is  most  gracious,  even  friendly.  Our  position 
in  London  is  quite  different  now;  I  think  I  will  enjoy 
myself.  Mr.  Clay  arrives  in  a  few  days.  The  season 
has  not  yet  commenced  but  people  are  returning  to  town. 

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1815]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

I  have  been  specially  enjoined  not  to  record  any  gossip 
in  my  diary — to  confine  it  as  much  as  possible  to  interest- 
ing facts.  Father  dislikes  gossip  and  tittle-tattle,  saying 
it  is  only  fit  for  idle  women.  I  am  having  a  fine  dress 
made  to  be  presented  in  May.  .  .  . 

APRIL  16:  LONDON 

I  went  to  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  and  the  Tower  of  London 
to-day;  the  latter  is  most  interesting. 
All  we  can  do  now  is  to  go  thoroughly  into  the  following 
matters  awaiting  Mr.  Adams'  arrival:  Colonial  policy; 
regulating  traffic  with  Canada;  opening  the  St.  Lawrence 
River  to  us;  impressment  and  blockade  in  times  of  war; 
trade  with  West  Indies  and  Nova  Scotia;  trade  between 
India,  Europe,  and  the  United  States.  Father  wishes 
to  have  everything  ready,  so  as  to  be  able  to  put  matters 
clearly  before  the  other  delegates  when  all  have  assembled. 
Of  course,  he  is  anxious  to  go  home,  as  he  has  been  absent 
over  two  years.  .  .  . 

APRIL  20:  LONDON 

We  are  invited  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  Duke  of  Devonshire 
at  Chatsworth,  also  to  Lord  Saye  and  Sele  at  Broughton 
Castle.  I  went  to  see  a  cock-fight  yesterday  and  did 
not  like  it;  I  will  not  go  again.  We  dine  and  sup  out 
a  great  deal.  I  cannot  stand  the  hours  they  sit  at  the 
table  drinking  port  and  Madeira.  At  some  houses  they 
have  round  shallow  silver  trays  on  wheels  holding  the 
bottles,  which  are  pushed  round  the  table.  I  have 
never  been  accustomed  to  drink  anything  but  claret  and 
water,  so  I  have  to  sit  quiet  doing  nothing  and  listening 
to  subjects  discussed  which  are  far  beyond  me. 

APRIL  26:  BROUGHTON  CASTLE 

This  is  a  most  interesting  old  castle  surrounded  by  a 
moat  with  a  drawbridge.  The  hall  is  full  of  armour 
which  was  fished  out  of  the  moat.  My  bedroom  has  a 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1815 

sliding  panel  which  opens  on  the  chapel  below;  other 
rooms  have  the  same.  It  is  to  hear  early  prayers  without 
leaving  one's  room.  .  .  . 

APRIL  29:  CHATSWORTH 

We  arrived  here  on  Friday.  A  superb  palace.  His 
Grace  is  so  handsome,  such  great  dignity  of  manner 
and  so  kind  and  gracious.  He  is  only  twenty-five.  Every- 
thing on  a  splendid  scale.  They  say  he  will  never  marry 
as  there  is  some  doubt  about  his  birth — that  he  is  a 
changeling.  We  return  to  London  on  Tuesday.  Father 
anxious  to  get  back.  .  .  . 

APRIL  30:  CHATSWORTH 

There  is  a  very  large  party  stopping  here;  I  cannot  get 
hold  of  all  the  names.  One  very  great  lady  is  the  Mar- 
chioness of  Stafford;  she  is  Countess  of  Sutherland  in 
her  own  right.  Like  all  well-born  people  I  have  met  she 
is  most  simple,  gracious,  and  charming.  She  seems  to 
take  an  interest  in  everything  and  is  most  kind  to  me. 
She  took  me  all  over  the  house,  pointing  out  the  pictures 
and  telling  me  their  history.  She  was  a  great  friend 
of  the  unfortunate  Queen  Marie  Antoinette.  She  has 
the  greatest  admiration  for  Madame  de  Stael  and  was 
much  interested  in  my  account  of  our  visit  to  Coppet. 
She  laughed  at  the  dedication  to  "  Cupidon "  in  my  copy 
of  "Corinne"  and  calls  me  "Cupid."  I  am  going  to  dye 
my  hair  black.  The  ladies  are  very  fine  at  night  and 
wear  wonderful  jewels. 

We  visited  some  splendid  places  to-day.  Everything  is 
done  in  such  great  state.  Poor  father  is  so  bored; 
I  like  it. 

MAY  1:  CHATSWORTH 

We  leave  to-day.  His  Grace  is  putting  a  fine  coach 
at  our  disposal  with  relays  of  horses  all  the  way  to 
London  .  .  . 

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MAY  3:  LONDON 

Mr.  Adams  arrives  shortly.  We  found  quantities  of 
invitations. 

Dined  with  Mr.  Alexander  Baring.  His  wife  was  Miss 
Bingham  from  Philadelphia,  her  father  a  Senator.  Mr. 
Frederick  Robinson,*  Vice-President  of  the  Board  of  Trade, 
was  one  of  the  guests.  He  takes  Lord  Gambier's  place. 
He  seems  most  affable — a  contrast  to  Lord  Gambier, 
who  reminded  me  of  a  fire  cracker  which  would  never 
go  off  but  was  always  sputtering  (I  am  forbidden  to 
express  my  opinions).  Lord  Landsdowne  and  Lord  Grey, 
very  important  personages,  were  also  present.  We  are 
to  be  presented  privately  to  the  Regent  on  Saturday.  .  .  . 

MAY  5:  LONDON,  SATURDAY 

We  were  received  by  the  Regent  at  12  o'clock.  Carl  ton 
House  is  very  fine  but  the  furniture,  &c.,  is  too 
showy.  The  Regent  and  two  of  his  brothers  received 
us.  The  former  is  very  handsome  and  dignified  but  is 
fat.  He  was  superbly  dressed,  his  brothers  as  well. 
Father  made  such  a  contrast  in  his  black  shorts,  white 
silk  stockings,  and  black  coat  with  his  white  choker. 
The  Prince  has  the  most  charming  manners;  he  was 
most  affable.  I  was  in  my  new  clothes — yellow  breeches, 
white  stockings,  and  a  dark-blue  coat  embroidered  in 
gold.  He  patted  me  on  the  cheek  and  said  with  a  laugh, 
"You  will  break  some  hearts."  Everything  was  done 
with  the  greatest  tact — no  mention  of  politics,  simply  a 
wish  expressed  that  we  should  enjoy  our  sojourn  in 
England.  The  audience  lasted  half  an  hour. 
I  forgot  to  mention  that  a  Royal  carriage  was  sent  to 
take  us  to  the  palace.  There  were  three  footmen  behind 
and  father's  chasseur,  in  green  with  cock's  feathers  in 
his  hat,  stood  on  the  step.  We  had  to  have  a  chasseur 
as  father  is  "Special  Ambassador  to  England."  We  never 

*  Frederick  John  Robinson.     Created  Viscount  Goderich,  April  28, 
1827,  and  Earl  of  Ripon,  April  13,  1833. 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1815 

drive  out  without  him,  and  when  we  walk  in  the  Mall 
he  is  always  behind  father.  .  .  . 

MAY  9:  THURSDAY 

Very  busy  writing.  I  have  been  to  two  balls  and  a  rout. 
What  a  funny  thing  the  latter  is.  You  crawl  up  the 
staircase,  bow  to  your  hosts  at  the  top,  and  crawl  down 
again  with  your  clothes  torn  off  your  back.  They  call 
that  pleasure.  We  dine  to-morrow  with  the  Duke  of 
Wellington.  .  .  . 

MAY  11:  SATURDAY 

A  very  fine  dinner.  Gold  and  silver  plate  superb.  It 
lasted  four  hours.  Everybody  of  note  was  present — 
all  the  Ministry.  Of  course,  I  was  much  interested.  I 
sat  next  to  Lord  Grey.  He  did  not  talk  but  snapped  out 
sentences;  his  mouth  is  like  a  mouse-trap.  All  the 
servants,  they  say,  were  bailiffs.  There  is  so  much 
splendour  and  so  much  absolutely  degrading  poverty  in 
London.  Neither  in  Paris  nor  Washington  have  I  seen 
anything  of  the  kind.  .  .  . 

MAY  13:  MONDAY 

Mr.  Adams  has  arrived  and  we  go  to  serious  work.  .  .  . 

MAY  15:  WEDNESDAY 

A  very  long  interview  to-day;  all  delegates  present. 
Mr.  Robinson  and  father  continually  poured  oil  on  the 
troubled  waters.  Serious  matters  were  discussed,  then 
dropped  to  be  brought  up  again.  They  meet  again  on 
Friday.  .  .  . 

MAY  17:  FRIDAY 

Mr.  Adams  is  really  a^thprn^lie  is  so  absolutely  "Yankee" 
and  ofva^jcommon  type.  Why  he  is  Minister  here  I 
cannot  understand.  He  is  totally  unfitted  for  the  post. 
He  bursts  out  at  times,  upsetting  everybody  and  every- 
thing. Father  looks  at  him  with  tightly  compressed 

73 


1815]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

lips.  I  fear  some  day  he  will  wither  him;  now  he  only 
makes  a  clever  joke  which  restores  peace.  I  can  see 
the  contempt  on  the  faces  of  the  English  delegates; 
they  are  so  courteous  and  civil.  .  .  . 

MAY  18 

Father  had  a  long  personal  interview  with  Lord  Castle- 
reagh  to-day.  They  have  both  agreed  that  this  is  the 
wiser  method  to  pursue.  Lord  C.  told  him  they  did  more 
in  an  hour  than,  when  all  met,  in  a  week.  Father  has 
the  same  confidence  in  his  lordship's  wonderful  quickness 
in  grasping  matters,  also  his  sound  good  sense  of  justice 
that  Lord  C.  seems  to  reciprocate. 

MAY  20:  LONDON 

Since  the  signing  of  the  treaty  at  Ghent  there  have  been 
a  series  of  leaders  in  the  Times  inspired  by  the  war  party, 
of  the  most  bitter  character.  Of  course,  they  have 
annoyed  me  very  much.  Father  has  spoken  to  me 
several  times  on  the  subject  with  his  calm  good  sense. 
He  says  this  is  inevitable — to  be  regretted,  but  unworthy 
of  notice. 

Lord  Castlereagh  has  assured  him  that  when  he  received 
the  news  of  the  signing  of  the  treaty  at  Vienna  he  was 
overjoyed. 

The  Duke  of  Wellington  and  Lord  Liverpool  have 
expressed  the  same  sentiments.  What  has  pleased  me 
more  than  anything  else  is  that  these  three  great  men  have 
unreservedly  acknowledged  that  to  his  good  sense, 
moderation,  and  firmness  the  signing  of  the  treaty  was 
due.  He  has  no  vanity,  but  feels  it  is  a  reward  for  all 
the  personal  sacrifices  he  has  made. 

MAY  23 

There  is  a  great  activity  in  military  circles;  evidently 
the  allies  are  determined  to  crush  Napoleon  once  and  for 
all.  All  this  delays  us.  Father  says  the  climax  one 

74 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1815 

way  or  the  other  must  soon  arrive.  He  is  a  little  anxious, 
but  says  little.  .  .  . 

MAY  26 

Wild  rumours  of  all  sorts  of  what  the  Emperor  is  going 
to  do  or  try  to  do.  Father  fears  a  great  financial  crisis. . . . 

MAY  28 

There     is     but     one     absorbing     topic,     "Napoleon"  ! 

"Boney"!!! 

JUNE  7:  LONDON 

Father  received  a  detailed  account  of  the  great  ceremony 
in  the  Champs  de  Mars.  There  was  first  a  solemn  Mass, 
then  the  Emperor  swore  fidelity  to  the  New  Constitution. 
He  was  dressed  in  the  Imperial  robes  of  state.  His 
brothers  wore  Court  dresses  of  white  velvet  embroidered 
in  gold,  short  capes  of  the  same  material  powdered  with 
golden  bees,  and  caps  with  masses  of  white  ostrich  feathers. 
The  Emperor  distributed  the  eagles  to  the  various  regi- 
ments. At  that  moment  a  terrific  thunderstorm  broke 
and  this,  together  with  the  repeated  salutes  of  artillery, 
made  a  most  impressive,  if  not  theatrical,  scene.  In  a 
box  next  to  the  throne  were  all  the  Imperial  princesses 
with  their  children.  I  wish  I  had  seen  all  this.  .  .  . 

JUNE  12 

But  little  news.     Messrs.  Bayard  and  Crawford  sail  in 
the  Neptune  on  the  18th.     Father  is  forced  to  remain    * 
to  sign  the  treaty.    Always  some  new  obstacle  crops  up. 
Mr^  Adams  impossible. 

JUNE  15 

Great  news.  Napoleon  left  Paris  last  Monday;  they  say 
he  is  marching  on  Brussels.  .  .  . 

JUNE  17 

News  arrives  only  to  be  contradicted,  but  the  fact  remains 
the  Emperor  is  sweeping  all  before  him.  Father  only 

75 


1815]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

seems  troubled  about  the  financial  crash  which  is  sure  to 
follow  if  Napoleon  is  victorious.  .  .  . 

JUNE  18 

Great  anxiety.  Consols  have  fallen  terribly.  I  have 
never  seen  greater  depression;  everybody  one  sees 
seems  frightened.  A  rumour  to-day  that  a  battle  had 
been  fought  and  that  the  Duke  of  Wellington  was  crushed ; 
to-night  that  is  contradicted.  One  cannot  believe  any- 
thing. They  say  Monsieur  Rothschild  has  mounted 
couriers  from  Brussels  to  Ostend  and  a  fast  clipper  ready 
to  sail  the  moment  something  is  decisive  one  way  or  the 
other.  .  .  . 

JUNE  25,  1815 

The  last  few  days  have  been  so  intoxicating  that  I  have 
not  had  a  moment  to  write  in  my  diary.  When  the 
*  news  was  confirmed  of  the  great  victory  of  the  Duke  of 
Wellington  at  Waterloo  London  went  mad  and  I  with  it. 
People  I  had  never  seen  before  rushed  up  to  me  in  the 
streets  and  shook  me  violently  by  the  hand.  Father 
now  says  we  will  have  a  long  and  lasting  peace — that 
Napoleon  will  be  obliged  to  abdicate,  that  his  star  has 
fallen.  Many  people  have  been  ruined  and  others  have 
made  large  fortunes.  He  is  a  little  annoyed  at  the 
desertion  of  Messrs.  Bayard  and  Crawford,  who  have 
sailed  in  the  Neptune,  leaving  us  to  get  home  as  best 
we  can.  .  .  . 

JUNE  26 

The  Emperor  has  arrived  in  Paris.  It  seems  he  wanted 
to  be  killed  but  his  marshals  forced  him  into  a  carriage, 
as  they  feared  he  might  be  taken  prisoner.  .  .  . 

JUNE  27 

We  are  nearing  the  completion  of  the  Treaty  of  Commerce, 
and  it  is  to  b£  signed  in  a  day  or  two.  .  .  . 

76 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1815 

JUNE  28 

Father  had  a  farewell  audience  with  the  Regent.     I  did 

not  go.     Mr.  Baring  is  most  kind  to  us.  ... 

JUNE  29 

Of  course,  Mr.  Adams  is  retarding  matters  with  his  pig- 
headedness.     Mr.   Robinson  is  so  entirely  different,   so 
suave    and    conciliatory.     Father    is   perfectly    satisfied^ 
with  the  conditions  of  the  treaty.  .  .  . 

JUNE  30 

Father  has  decided  to  leave  London  on  July  4,  on  our 
way  home.  My  mother  is  not  well.  We  have  secured 
a  good  ship.  .  .  . 

JULY  2 

The  treaty  signed  to-day  but  not  without  difficulty. 
Mr.  Adams  at  the  last  moment  wished  to  make  all  sorts 
of  alterations.  Father  agreed  to  some  of  them,  and  • 
Mr.  Robinson  also;  if  it  had  been  Mr.  Goulburn  or 
Adams  they  would  not  have  agreed  so  easily.  Mr. 
Robinson  has  been  most  charming  in  every  way.  We 
dine  for  the  last  time  with  Mr.  Baring.  .  .  . 

JULY  3 

We  are  actually  off  to-morrow.  All  the  Barings  were 
so  kind.  The  dinner  was  delightful  and  we  parted 
with  them  with  deep  regret.  I  will  be  glad  to  get 
home;  after  all  it  is  my  home  and  I  love  it.  But  I 
want  to  come  back.  Homme  propose  mais  Dieu 
dispose. 


77 


PART  III 

THE  MINISTRY  IN  FRANCE 

FROM  THE  RESTORATION  OF  THE  BOURBONS  TO  THE 
ASSASSINATION  OF  THE  DUC  DE  BERRI 

NOVEMBER  IS15—JULY  1820 

NOVEMBER  23,  1815:  NEW  YORK 

Much  to  my  regret,  father  has  written  to-day  declining 
the  mission  to  France.  Lately  he  seems  to  have  got  an 
idea  in  his  head  that  he  must  devote  his  attention  to 
making  money  for  his  children.  Mamma  is  greatly  dis- 
appointed as  well  as  Frances;  they  had  been  looking 
forward  to  the  gaieties  of  Paris  life  after  all  I  had  told 
them.  Albert  does  not  care;  he  would  prefer  to  live 
in  the  backwoods. 

ALBERT  GALLATIN  to  THOMAS  JEFFERSON 

NEW  YORK,  November  27,  1815 

DEAR  SIR, 

On  my  return  from  Washington  I  found  your 
welcome  letter  of  October  16,  which  my  friends  here, 
daily  expecting  my  return,  had  kept  instead  of  forwarding 
it. 

Our  opinion  of  Bonaparte  is  precisely  the  same.  In 
that  Lafayette's  and  the  opinion  of  every  friend  of  rational 
liberty  in  France  did  coincide.  The  return  of  that  man 
was  generally  considered  by  them  as  a  curse.  Notwith- 
standing the  blunders  and  rooted  prejudices  of  the 
Bourbons,  the  alienation  of  the  army  and  the  absolute 
want  of  physical  force  had  made  them,  upon  the  whole, 

78 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1815 

harmless,  and  as  soon  as  the  termination  of  the  Congress* 
would  have  left  France  independent  of  foreign  interference, 
they  must  in  the  course  of  things  either  have  been  overset 
or  have  governed  according  to  public  opinion.  After 
Bonaparte's  restoration,  it  was  hoped  to  pursue  a  similar 
course;  others,  placing  confidence  in  the  declarations 
of  the  Allies,  hoped  to  get  rid  both  of  him  and  of  the 
Bourbons.  All  saw  the  necessity  of  defending  the 
country  against  foreign  invasion,  but  the  fatal  catastrophe 
was  not,  to  its  full  extent,  anticipated  by  any.  I  call  it 
a  catastrophe  with  an  eye  only  to  the  present;  for, 
exhausted,  degraded,  and  oppressed  as  France  now  is, 
I  do  not  despair  of  her  ultimate  success  in  establishing 
her  independence  and  a  free  form  of  Government.  The 
people  are  too  enlightened  to  submit  long  to  any  but  a 
military  despotism.  What  has  lately  passed  was  a  scene 
in  the  drama,  perhaps  necessary  to  effect  a  radical  cure 
of  that  love  of  conquest  which  had  corrupted  the  nation 
and  made  the  French  oppressors  abroad  and  slaves  at 
home.  As  to  independence,  we  have  the  recent  instance 
of  Prussia,  which,  with  far  inferior  population,  resources, 
or  intellect,  arose  in  two  years  from  almost  annihilation 
to  the  rank  of  a  preponderating  Power.  But  to  return 
to  Bonaparte:  I  lament  to  see  our  republican  editors 
so  much  dazzled  by  extraordinary  actions  or  carried 
away  by  natural  aversion  to  our  only  dangerous  enemy 
as  to  take  up  the  cause  of  that  despot  and  conqueror, 
and  to  represent  him  as  the  champion  of  liberty  who  has 
been  her  most  mortal  enemy,  where  hatred  to  republican 
systems  was  founded  on  the  most  unbounded  selfishness 
and  on  the  most  hearty  contempt  for  mankind.  I  really 
wish  that  you  would  permit  me  to  publish,  or  rather  that 
you  would  publish,  your  opinions  on  that  subject.  This 
might  have  a  tendency  to  correct  those  which  are  daily 
published,  and  which  do  injury  to  our  cause  at  home, 
and  to  our  country  abroad. 

*  At  Vienna  and  the  dissolution  of  the  Coalition. 
79 


1815]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

Under  different  circumstances,  without  having  any 
wish  for  a  foreign  mission  or  a  residence  in  France, 
I  might  have  accepted  the  appointment  of  Minister  there. 
But,  satisfied  that  nothing  can  at  this  moment  be  effected 
in  that  country,  and  it  being  very  reluctant  to  my  feelings 
to  be  on  a  mission  to  a  degraded  monarch  and  to  a  nation 
under  the  yoke  of  foreign  armies,  I  thought  that  I  might, 
without  any  breach  of  public  duty  or  of  private  gratitude, 
consult  my  own  convenience,  and  I  have  accordingly 
officially  informed  our  Government  that  I  declined 
altogether  the  appointment.  ALBERT  GALLATIN 

NOVEMBER  27 

I  had  a  long  conversation  with  father  this  morning.  For 
the  first  time  he  told  me  of  Mr.  John  Jacob  Astor's  most 
generous  offer  to  take  him  into  partnership,  with  a  fifth 
share  in  a  business  whose  profits  were  $100,000  a  year. 
His  reasons  for  refusing  were,  although  he  respected 
Mr.  Astor,  he  never  could  place  himself  on  the  same  level 
with  him.  I  am  not  surprised,  as  Astor  was  a  butcher's 
son  at  Waldorf — came  as  an  emigrant  to  this  country 
with  a  pack  on  his  back.  He  peddled  furs,  was  very 
clever,  and  is,  I  believe,  one  of  the  kings  of  the  fur  trade. 
He  dined  here  and  ate  his  ice-cream  and  peas  with  a 
knife. 

DECEMBER  6 

He  showed  me  a  letter  from  Mr.  Monroe  again  urging 
him  to  accept  the  French  mission.  It  is  in  the  most 
flattering  terms  and  begs  father  not  to  withdraw  from 
political  life — that  he  is  by  far  the  finest  diplomatist  we 
have,  that  anything  would  be  safe  in  his  hands. 
I  did  hope  he  was  going  to  tell  me  he  would  accept, 
but  when  I  ventured  to  ask  him  his  answer  was:  "I 
must  think  of  making  proper  provision  for  my  family. 
I  am  getting  old." 

80 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1815 

DECEMBER  19 

Another  letter  from  Mr.  Monroe  urging  father  to  recon- 
sider the  mission  to  France.  We  all  want  him  to,  but  we 
know  perfectly  well  it  is  wise  for  us  not  to  say  anything.  I 
honestly  feel  I  would  much  prefer  to  live  in  either  France 
or  England — all  is  so  crude  in  this  country.  The  two 
years  I  spent  in  Russia,  France,  and  England  have 
unfitted  me  for  America. 

DECEMBER  26 

Father  has  just  brought  another  letter  to  copy. 

ALBERT  GALLATIN  to  JAMES  MONROE 

NEW  YORK,  December  26,  1815 
DEAR  SIB, 

I  have  received  your  friendly  letters  of  the  4th 
and  16th  instant,  and  have  a  grateful  sense  of  the  motives 
which  dictated  them.  I  can  assure  you  that  I  feel  a 
great  reluctance  to  part  with  my  personal  and  political 
friends,  and  that  every  consideration  merely  personal 
to  myself  and  detached  from  my  family  urges  a  con- 
tinuance in  public  life.  My  habits  are  formed  and  cannot 
be  altered.  I  feel  alive  to  everything  connected  with 
the  interest,  happiness,  and  reputation  of  the  United 
States.  Whatever  affects  unfavourably  either  of  them 
makes  me  more  unhappy  than  any  private  loss  or  incon- 
venience. Although  I  have  nothing  to  do  with  it,  the 
continual  suspension  of  specie  payments,  which  I  con- 
sider as  a  continued  unnecessary  violation  of  the  public 
faith,  occupies  my  thoughts  more  than  any  other  subject. 
I  feel  as  a  passenger  in  a  storm — vexed  that  I  cannot 
assist.  This  I  understand  to  be  very  generally  the 
feeling  of  every  statesman  out  of  place.  Be  this  as  it 
may,  although  I  did  and  do  believe  that  for  the  present 
at  least  I  could  not  be  of  much  public  utility  in  France, 
I  did  in  my  private  letter  to  the  President  place  my 
declining  on  the  ground  of  private  considerations.  In 

81 


1816]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

that  respect  my  views  are  limited  to  the  mere  means  of 
existence  without  falling  in  debt.  I  do  not  wish  to 
accumulate  any  property.  I  will  not  do  my  family  the 
injury  of  impairing  the  little  I  have.  My  health  is  frail; 
they  may  soon  lose  me,  and  I  will  not  leave  them  depend- 
ent on  the  bounty  of  others.  Was  I  to  go  to  France, 
and  my  compensation  and  private  income  (this  last 
does  not  exceed  $2500  a  year)  did  not  enable  me  to  live 
as  I  ought,  I  must  live  as  I  can.  I  ask  your  forgiveness 
for  entering  in  those  details,  but  you  have  treated  me  as 
a  friend  and  I  write  to  you  as  such.  You  have  from 
friendship  wished  that  I  would  reconsider  my  first 
decision,  and  I  will  avail  myself  of  the  permission.  It 
will  be  understood  that  in  the  meanwhile,  if  the  delay 
is  attended  with  any  public  inconvenience,  a  new  appoint- 
ment may  immediately  take  place.  My  motive  for 
writing  when  I  did  was  a  fear  that,  specially  with  respect 
to  other  missions,  the  belief  that  I  would  go  to  France 
might  induce  the  President  to  make  different  arrange- 
ments from  those  he  would  have  adopted  on  a  contrary 
supposition.  .  .  . 

ALBERT  GALLATIN 

JANUARY  2,  1816 

I  really  believe  he  is  going  to  change  his  mind  after  all. 
Mamma  does  not  mention  the  subject  but  sighs  deeply 
at  intervals.  Frances  declared  at  breakfast  it  was  useless 
for  her  to  go  on  with  her  French  as  they  were  not  going 
to  Paris.  .  .  . 

FEBRUARY  2 

Hurrah!  everything  couleur  de  rose.  I  wrote  the  letter 
accepting  the  French  mission  for  him  at  his  dictation. 
Mr.  Monroe  had  written  him  the  most  pressing  letter  on 
the  27th  of  last  month,  begging  for  an  immediate  reply 
one  way  or  the  other.  All  I  say  to  them  at  home  is, 
"Faites  ws  paquets,  mesdames" .  .  . 

82 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1816 

ALBERT  GALLATIN  to  JAMES  MONROE 

accepting  the  mission  to  France 

NEW  YORK,  February  2,  1816 
DEAR  SIR, 

I  have  just  received  your  letter  of  27th  ult.,  and 
have  at  last  concluded  to  avail  myself  of  the  permission 
given  me  to  accept  again  the  mission  to  France.  I  am 
duly  sensible  of  yours  and  the  President's  kindness  in 
having  kept  the  question  so  long  opened,  and  hope  you 
will  find  an  apology  for  my  hesitation  in  the  importance, 
at  my  age,  of  a  decision  which  must  so  materially  affect 
the  prospects  for  life  of  my  wife  and  children.  I  believe 
with  you  that  the  chance  of  Congress  making  any  addi- 
tional allowance  to  Foreign  Ministers  is  not  the  better 
on  account  either  of  the  present  incumbents  or  of  the 
state  of  suspense  in  which  some  of  the  important  missions 
are  now  kept.  On  what  may  hereafter  be  done  no 
reliance  can  be  placed.  I  calculate  only  on  what  now 
exists,  and  mean,  as  I  before  stated,  to  regulate  my 
expenses  accordingly.  If  I  find  it  impracticable  to  live 
without  encroaching  on  my  small  property,  I  will  beg 
permission  to  return.  I  believe  an  additional  compen- 
sation to  be  much  more  important  to  the  United  States 
than  to  the  individual. 

I  have  still  some  private  arrangements  to  complete, 
which  will  not,  however,  detain  me  long,  and  I  will  be 
ready  to  repair  to  Washington,  for  the  purpose  of  reading 
the  former  correspondence  and  receiving  your  instruc- 
tions, at  any  time  you  may  be  pleased  to  appoint.  It  will 
best  suit  my  convenience  to  have  a  short  time  allowed 
me  on  my  return  from  Washington.  I  will,  in  the 
meanwhile,  wait  for  your  answer. 

I  beg  you  to  present  Mrs.  G.'s  and  my  best  respects 
to  Mrs.  M.  and  to  Mrs.  Hay,  and  to  believe  me,  with 
sincere  respect  and  esteem,  truly  yours. 

You  will  have  the  goodness  to  return  or  destroy  the 

83 


1816]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

letter  in  which  I  had  declined  the  appointment,  as  it 
should  not  remain  on  the  files  of  the  office. 

ALBERT  GALLATIN 


JAMES  MONROE  to  ALBERT  GALLATIN 

WASHINGTON,  February  13,  1816 
DEAR  SIR, 

We  were  much  gratified  to  find  by  your  last  letter 
that  you  accepted  the  mission  to  France.  I  have  not 
wished  to  take  you  from  your  affairs,  which  I  am  con- 
vinced must  require  your  unremitted  attention  before 
your  departure;  but  I  now  think  that  the  sooner  you 
come  here  the  better  it  will  be.  It  is  known  that  you 
have  accepted  the  mission,  and  an  early  visit  here  will 
produce  a  good  effect.  The  prospect  of  obtaining  an 
augmentation,  in  the  modes  heretofore  suggested,  of  the 
salary  is  improved  by  the  acceptance;  and,  being  here, 
the  opportunity  you  will  have  of  conferring  with  Mr.  Clay 
and  Mr.  Crawford  on  the  subject,  and  interesting  them 
in  it,  will  give  to  our  exertions  much  aid.  This  you  may 
afford,  in  the  present  state,  with  perfect  delicacy.  Every- 
thing will  be  done  to  accommodate  your  views,  in  the 
time  of  your  departure,  that  circumstances  will  permit. 
Your  former  letter  was  not  filed  in  the  Department. 
I  will  return  it  to  you  when  we  meet.  Our  best  regards 
to  Mrs.  Gallatin. 

With  great  respect  and  esteem, 

Sincerely  yours. 

JAMES  MONROE 


APRIL  13 

Bother !  I  wish  people  would  let  him  alone.  They  now 
offer  him  the  Treasury;  again  all  our  plans  are  at  a 
standstill. 

84 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1816 

APRIL  18 

He  will  not  accept.  He  says  his  arrangements  to  go  to 
France  are  too  far  advanced  to  be  changed  at  this  last 
moment.  He  also  has  some  very  important  business  to 
settle  in  Geneva.  The  family  bourse  has  accumu- 
lated for  so  long,  and  now  is  such  a  large  sum,  he  thinks 
something  should  be1  done  with  it.  He  is  the  only  male 
Gallatin  in  the  world  and  the  Gallatin  women  have  no 
claim  to  it;  there  are  several  of  them  married  in  Geneva 
of  the  different  branches.  Anyhow,  to  France  we  go. 

MAY  25 

I  have  been  on  board  the  Peacock  (Captain  Rogers), 
which  is  fitting  out  to  take  us  as  soon  as  possible.  The 
captain  told  me  to-day  he  would  be  ready  June  1,  but 
from  the  appearance  of  things  I  do  not  believe  he  will. 

JUNE  2 

Of  course,  the  Peacock  is  not  ready.     Here  we  are  all 

packed  up  and  ready;  everything  most  uncomfortable. 

JUNE  7 

The  captain  has  promised  father  that  he  will  be  able 

to  sail  in  two  days.     All  our  baggage  has  been  put  on 

board. 

JUNE  10:  ON  BOARD  THE  PEACOCK 
We  are  actually  off.  Such  a  host  of  friends  to  bid  us 
"God-speed."  Mamma  in  tears,  Frances  in  tears,  all 
the  maids  in  tears,  and  all  the  female  relations  in  tears. 
At  the  present  moment  mamma  and  Frances  are  waving 
to  the  receding  shore.  Albert  is  busy  with  the  chickens, 
of  which  we  have  a  large  supply.  .  .  . 

JULY  9:  PARIS 

After  a  very  fast  passage  here  we  are  in  Paris.  I  can 
hardly  believe  it  is  true,  and  keep  rubbing  my  eyes, 
thinking  I  may  be  asleep  and  dreaming. 

85 


1816]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 
JULY  10 

Father  had  an  interview  with  the  Due  de  Richelieu*  to-day 
at  12  o'clock;  I  was  present  to  take  notes.  He  ex- 
pressed a  most  friendly  feeling  that  the  French  Govern- 
ment had  for  the  United  States— in  fact,  was  most  civil, 
even  cordial. 

He  seemed  anxious  to  know  what  our  feelings  toward 
England  were.  Father  answered  that  the  two  Govern- 
ments were  on  excellent  terms,  but  of  course  there  was 
irritation  between  the  people,  which  always  existed  after 
a  war — that  he  regretted  that  public  journals  added 
fuel  to  the  flame. 

The  Duke  regretted  that  the  newspapers  misrepresented 
the  present  government  of  France.  He  could  not  under- 
stand how  most  of  the  English  and  American  papers 
defended  a  man  who  crushed  liberty  everywhere. 
The  Duke,  on  leaving,  said  His  Majesty  wished  father 
to  present  his  letters  of  credence  to-morrow  as  the  Royal 
Family  were  leaving  Paris  shortly. 

JULY  11 

I  accompanied  father  to  the  palace  to  present  his  letters. 
I  was  amazed  at  our  reception,  both  by  the  King  and 
the  Prince.  Our  audience  was,  of  course,  private. 
Father  presented  me.  Both  the  King  and  the  Prince 
expressed  themselves  as  most  friendly  towards  the 
United  States.  "Monsieur,"f  the  Due  d'Angouleme, 
and  the  Due  de  Berri  were  present.  The  King  is  old 
and  very  fat.  Monsieur  is  rather  handsome;  the 
Due  d'Angouleme  very  stern  but  with  a  very  kind  face; 

*Duc  de  Richelieu  (Fernand-Emmanuel-Sophie-Septimanio  du 
Plessis),  peer  of  France.  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  and  President  of 
the  Council  September  26,  1815;  died  May  17,  1822. 

t" Monsieur"  Charles-Philippe  de  France,  Comte  d'Artois,  brother 
of  the  King.  He  succeeded  Louis  XVIII  as  King  of  France  September 
16,  1824.  He  reigned  under  the  name  of  Charles  X.  His  two  sons 
were  the  Dukes  of  Angoule'me  and  Berri. 

86 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1816 

the  Due  de  Berri  very  good-looking  and  very  gay  and 

smiling. 

Very    great    etiquette    is    maintained.     They    say    the 

King  is  more  strict  than  even  Louis  XIV  was.    We  cut 

a  sorry  sight  in  our  plain  black  coats  and  breeches  with 

all  the  splendours  of  the  Court  uniforms. 

The  King  asked  about  mamma's  health,  how  she  had 

borne  the  journey — is  really  most  kind  and  gracious. 

Court  coaches  were  sent  for  us  and  took  us  back.     Mr. 

Sheldon*  followed  us  in  the  second  coach. 

JULY  30:  21  RUE  DE  L'UNIVERSITE 

I  have  been  all  day  interviewing  servants — tall  and  short, 
fat  and  thin — until  I  can  hardly  speak.  After  sorting 
out  what  I  considered  the  best,  I  had  them  drawn  up 
for  father's  approval,  which  I  am  glad  to  say  he  gave. 
Major-domo — Gallon  by  name,  a  very  fine  person; 
two  house  footmen,  Edouard  and  Alfred;  two  carriage 
footmen,  Louis  and  Jean;  Chef,  Monsieur  Ratifar,  such 
a  great  personage  (he  brings  his  own  kitchen  staff) ;  three 
maids,  all  pretty — I  chose  them.  I  don't  know  what 
mamma  will  say  when  she  sees  them.  I  hate  to  look  at 
ugly  women. 

The  house  is  really  very  fine  entre  cours  et  jardin. 
Furniture  old  but  very  good.  We  have  to  supply  our 
own  plate  and  linen.  We  have  to  make  some  alterations, 
so  mamma  and  Frances  have  gone  to  the  Lussacs  at 
Versailles.  I  have  my  own  valet,  Lucien,  aged  twenty- 
five — a  very  important  person  he  thinks  himself,  valet 
to  a  Secretary  of  Embassy.  He  will  call  me  "Excel- 
lence." 

AUGUST  2 

All  the  morning  choosing  carriages  and  horses.  Of  the 
latter  we  got  two  pairs,  very  fine  for  the  "Berline," 
which  is  all  glass  in  front;  this  will  be  for  Court  and 

*  Mr.  Sheldon  was  one  of  Albert  Gallatin's  secretaries. 
87 


1816]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

state  occasions.  A  very  strong  "Brichka"  for  everyday 
use,  a  nice  stout  little  pair  for  it.  A  cabriolet  for  me; 
any  of  the  big  horses  will  go  in  single. 

AUGUST  6 

We  are  really  in  very  good  order  and  the  servants  excel- 
lent. Madame  Patterson  Bonaparte  has  written  from 
Geneva  asking  if  she  might  be  allowed  to  pay  us  a  visit 
of  a  few  days.  She  is  on  her  way  to  America.  She  arrives 
on  the  10th. 

NOTE  :  The  following  letter  written  at  this  date  gives  an  interesting  ac- 
count of  the  financial  condition  of  France  after  Waterloo. 

LETTER  from  ALBERT  GALLATIN  to  JAMES 
MONROE  AT  WASHINGTON 

PARIS,  August  6,  1816 
SIR, 

You  were  informed  by  my  dispatch  No.  1  of  my 
arrival  in  this  city  on  the  9th  of  last  month.  On  the 
llth  I  had  audience  of  the  King,  to  whom  I  delivered 
my  letters  of  credence.  The  reception,  both  from  him 
and  from  the  princes,  was  what  is  called  gracious,  and 
accompanied  with  the  usual  expressions  of  most  friendly 
disposition  towards  the  United  States. 
My  abode  here  has  been  too  short  to  enable  me  to  form 
any  opinion  of  the  prospect  we  have  of  succeeding  in 
obtaining  the  indemnities  so  justly  due  to  our  citizens, 
and  I  do  not  wish  to  enter  into  the  discussion  until  I 
have  ascertained  as  far  as  practicable  the  disposition 
of  this  Government  in  that  respect.  Whatever  this  may 
be,  the  situation  of  their  finances  will  be  a  formidable 
obstacle  in  our  way.  That  there  will  be  a  great  deficit 
this  and  every  succeeding  year  until  the  foreign  contribu- 
tions are  discharged  is  notorious.  The  precise  amount 
of  that  deficit  for  this  year  is  not  so  well  known,  but, 
from  a  source  entitled  to  confidence,  has  been  stated  to 

88 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1816 

me  as  exceeding  350  millions  of  francs.  It  is  not  believed 
that  any  practical  increase  of  taxes  can  produce  more 
than  100  millions.  The  residue,  or  250  millions  a  year 
for  five  years,  must  therefore  remain  unpaid,  or  be 
provided  for  by  creating  new  stock.  That  situation  would, 
indeed,  be  deplorable  in  a  country  where  there  is  no 
public  credit,  and  where  the  Treasury  cannot  raise  money 
in  any  other  manner  than  by  selling  their  5  per  cent, 
stock  at  the  market  rate,  which  does  not  now  exceed 
58  per  cent.  I  still  hope  that  the  statement  is  exagger- 
ated; but  the  reliance  which  seems  to  be  placed  on  the 
forbearance  of  the  allied  Powers  confirms  the  opinion 
that  the  internal  resources  are  not  sufficient  to  meet  the 
foreign  demands. 

It  has  been  suggested  to  me  that  some  classes  of  claims, 
particularly  that  of  vessels  burnt  at  sea,  would,  if  pressed 
by  themselves,  have  a  better  chance  of  being  admitted; 
but,  unless  otherwise  instructed,  I  will  not  pursue  a  course 
which  might  injure  the  general  mass  of  our  claims.  .  .  . 

ALBERT  GALLATIN 

AUGUST  7 

His  Majesty  has  expressed  a  wish — in  fact,  a  command — 
that  mamma  is  to  be  received  in  private  audience,  and 
has  fixed  the  9th.  Fortunately,  she  has  all  her  frocks 
ready.  She  is  to  be  received  in  the  morning.  All  the 
corps  diplomatique  have  called,  and  now  it  is  nothing 
but  returning  visits.  The  de  Broglies  are  still  with 
Madame  de  Stael  at  Coppet,  but  are  returning  to  Paris 
shortly.  The  Due  de  la  Rochefoucauld  d'Enville  (a  distant 
relation)  has  been  most  kind,  and  has  told  father  what 
he  ought  to  do  and  what  he  ought  not  to  do. 

AUGUST  10 

Mamma  was  most  graciously  received.  Father  accom- 
panied her.  She  had  to  wear  full  Court  dress  at  eleven 
in  the  morning.  She  was  first  received  by  the  King, 

89 


1816]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

who  spoke  English  to  her,  much  to  her  relief.  When 
she  retired  from  the  presence  she  was  escorted  by  Madame 
de  Duras  to  the  apartments  of  the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme. 
It  seems  it  was  most  trying.  She  has  not  yet  recovered 
from  the  fatigue,  as  she  is  not  strong. 

AUGUST  11 

Madame  Patterson  Bonaparte  arrived  this  morning  from 
Geneva.  Her  baggage  nearly  filled  the  antechamber. 
She  is  very  lovely,  but  hard  in  expression  and  manner. 
I  don't  think  she  has  much  heart.  Her  son  seems  to 
be  her  one  thought.  She  had  a  very  long  talk  with 
father  about  his  future  (her  son's) ;  she  is  most  ambitious 
for  him.  She  even  has  a  list  of  the  different  princesses 
who  will  be  available  for  him  to  marry:  as  he  is  only 
ten  years  old,  it  is  looking  far  ahead. 
I  have  but  little  work  to  do  here.  I  foresee  I  will 
soon  be  in  mischief.  Paris  is  indeed  the  paradise  of 
young  men. 

AUGUST  12,  1816 

Madame  Bonaparte's  conversation  most  brilliant.  At 
supper  last  night  she  said  that  when  in  Paris  just  after  the 
hundred  days,  she  was  at  a  ball  at  the  British  Embassy. 
She  noticed  she  was  much  stared  at,  and  that  some  of 
the  ladies  curtsied  to  her.  She  asked  the  Duke  of  Wel- 
lington what  it  meant,  and  he  told  her  she  was  taken 
for  Pauline  Bonaparte*  as  she  was  so  strikingly  like  her, 
and  that  people  were  so  amazed  at  thinking  Pauline 
Bonaparte  would  have  dared  come  back  to  France. 
The  Ambassador  came  up  to  her  at  that  moment  to  lead 
her  to  supper.  This  intrigued  the  company  all  the 
more.  She  is  frightfully  vain. 

AUGUST  14 

Father  had  an  audience  of  the  King  this  morning.  He 
suddenly  said:  "I  hear  that  Madame  Jerome  Bonaparte 

*  Sister  of  Napoleon,  married  Prince  Borghese. 
90 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1816 

is  with  you.  Pray  express  to  her  our  regret  she  will  not 
come  to  our  Court,  but  that  we  know  her  reasons  for 
not  doing  so."  When  father  told  her  she  was  much 
gratified,  and  said,  "That  Corsican  blackguard  would 
not  have  been  so  gracious." 

AUGUST  15 

Madame  Bonaparte  left  to-day  for  Havre  to  embark  for 
America.  She  is  such  an  interesting  person,  we  will 
miss  her.  She  gave  mamma  a  ruby-velvet  frock  to  cut 
up  for  Frances.  To  father  she  gave  a  really  beautiful 
turquoise  and  diamond  brooch.  He  will  never  wear  it, 
so  I  will  have  it, 

AUGUST  17 

We  are  very  busy  with  documents  to  be  copied  to  send 
to  America.  The  Due  de  Richelieu  had  a  very  long 
conference  with  father  yesterday.  The  latter  likes  him 
so  much — admires  all  his  fine  qualities,  particularly  his 
great  simplicity,  frugality,  and  above  all  his  honesty. 

AUGUST  23 

I  drove  my  new  "curricle"  for  the  first  time  to-day. 
I  do  not  know  which  was  the  most  proud,  myself,  Lucien, 
or  the  horse.  It  is  rather  difficult  to  drive  a  spirited 
horse  and  to  keep  taking  off  one's  hat  every  moment. 
I  have  to  be  on  the  qui  vive  not  to  fail  to  return  a  salute; 
I  will  do  better  when  I  get  to  know  people's  faces  better, 
but  now  I  find  it  most  difficult.  I  saw  many  lovely 
ladies,  and  I  flatter  myself  some  of  them  saw  me.  I 
find  they  notice  much  more  when  I  am  driving  than  when 
I  am  on  foot.  Moral — always  drive. 
I  have  just  come  back  from  walking  in  the  gardens  of 
the  Palais  Royale.  How  pretty  Frenchwomen  are! 
I  know  I  shall  get  into  all  sorts  of  scrapes.  I  don't 
remember  if  I  noted  our  visit  to  Monsieur  de  Lafayette. 
He  is  stopping  with  a  Mr.  Parker  some  distance  from 

91 


1816]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

Paris.  He  has  permission  to  come  to  Paris  but  does 
not  wish  to  do  so  at  present.  His  greeting  to  father 
was  most  cordial.  We  are  soon  going  to  see  him  again. 
I  now  find  it  most  difficult  to  keep  up  my  diary;  lately 
I  have  neglected  it  terribly.  In  the  future  I  will  have 
simply  to  write  when  I  can  find  time  and  from  memory. 
It  is  work  all  the  morning,  receiving  for  father  all  kinds 
and  qualities  of  people;  dining  out,  suppers,  theatres, 
and  all  sorts  and  kinds  of  varied  amusements.  Hardly 
time  to  sleep. 

I  have  made  friends  with  a  charming  little  danseuse  of 
the  opera,  Rosette  by  name. 

A  week  since  I  have  been  able  to  take  up  my  pen.  On 
Thursday  father  and  mother  were  commanded  to  dine 
with  the  King — a  very  great  honour  it  seems,  and  one 
reserved  for  princes  and  ambassadors.  A  rather  amusing 
incident  happened.  After  dinner  a  small  reception  was 
held.  Amongst  the  ladies  received  was  a  Comtesse  de 
Boigne.*  She  is  the  daughter  of  the  Marquis  d'Osmond,f 
ambassador  in  England.  In  a  loud  tone  she  expressed 
her  astonishment  at  the  presence  of  Monsieur  Gallatin 
and  his  wife  to  the  Prince  de  Conde.t  His  answer  to  her 
was:  "His  Majesty  cannot  too  highly  honour  Monsieur 
Gallatin,  as,  although  representing  a  new  country,  his 
ancestors  had  served  France  for  generations  and  one  had 
been  a  most  honoured  and  intimate  friend  of  Henri  IV."§ 
It  seems  this  got  to  the  King's  ears,  who  was  much 
annoyed,  and  when  Madame  de  Boigne  made  her  curtsy 
he  turned  his  back  on  her.  She  called  on  mamma  the 
next  day,  and  was  most  gracious  and  asked  too  many 

*  Charlotte  Louise  Ele"nore  Adelaide  d'Osmond  married  at  the  age 
of  sixteen  General  de  Boigne.  Separated  from  him  after  ten  months 
of  married  lif  e.  He  was  immensely  rich  and  allowed  her  a  large  income. 

t  Rene  Eustache  Marquis  d'Osmond,  Peer  of  France,  Ambassador 
in  England. 

t  Rene  de  Conde*,  born  1736,  Due  de  Bourbon. 

§  See  Appendix  II. 

92 


CASPAR   GALLATIN 
FRIEND  OF  HENRI  IV 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1817 

questions.  They  say  she  is  the  mistress  of  the  Due 
d'Orleans,  who  is  not  allowed  to  come  back  to  France. 
Madame  de  Stael  has  arrived.  I  went  with  father  to 
see  her  to-day;  she  looks  very  ill.  She  had  heard  of 
Madame  de  Boigne's  behaviour  and  was  very  angry. 
She  said,  "That  woman  is.  effrontery  itself,"  and  "Truth 
never  received  her  invitation  to  her  christening."  Madame 
Recamier  was  much  amused  and  told  many  funny  anec- 
dotes about  Madame  de  B.  It  seems  her  husband  is  an 
Indian  nabob  who  has  property  at  Chambery.  They 
do  not  live  together  but  he  allows  her  a  large  income. 
Albertine  de  Broglie  was  delightful — so  glad  to  see  us 
and  is  so  natural  and  unaffected.  They  are  looking  for 
a  house,  but  are  at  present  with  her  mother.  .  .  . 

DECEMBER 

Poor  neglected  diary!  I  have  broken  with  Rosette 
and  now  dance  with  the  jeunes  files  du  monde.  It  is  not 
amusing  as  I  take  them  back  to  their  mothers  when  the 
dance  is  over.  We  hardly  speak  a  word.  How  I  hate 
all  this  etiquette !  We  dined  yesterday  at  the  Due 
de  Berri's.  They  were  both  most  gracious;  she  is  like 
a  spoiled  child  and  has  very  bad  manners.  The  Duke  of 
Wellington  was  a  guest,  and  after  dinner  the  Due  de  Berri 
spoke  most  kindly  to  me.  They  say  he  has  many  friends 
in  the  coulisse  of  the  opera.  He  is  so  gay  and  cheerful — 
such  a  contrast  to  his  father  and  uncle.  They  say  the 
Orleans  family  will  soon  return  to  the  Palais  Royale 
and  they  receive  in  the  most  informal  manner.  A  great 
ball  at  the  Duke  of  Wellington's. 

It  seems  the  Royal  Family  were  most  rude,  but  that 
the  duke  did  not  pay  any  attention  and  rather  put  them 
to  shame.  Some  extraordinary  English  women  were 
present. 

JANUARY   1817 

I  am  trying  to  collect  my  senses  as  it  has  been  nothing 
but  a  whirl  of  gaiety.  Father  insisted  upon  having  a 

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1817]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

supper  Christmas  Day:  Madame  de  Stael,  the  de  Broglies, 
Pozzo  di  Borgo,  Baron  Humboldt,  Constant  Rebecque, 
Monsieur  la  Place,  the  Due  de  Richelieu,  Chateaubriand, 
Due  and  Duchesse  de  Clermont-Tonnerre,  Rochefoucauld, 
his  son,  and  a  host  of  others.  We  sat  down  thirty-eight. 
Albert  and  Frances  were  allowed  to  appear  on  this  occa- 
sion. Mamma  had  a  huge  Christmas-tree  in  one  of  the 
drawing-rooms.  Small  souvenirs  for  all.  As  Pozzo  was 
cutting  off  some  of  the  presents  the  tree  caught  fire: 
de  Broglie  pulled  off  his  coat,  I  followed  suit,  and  we 
smothered  the  fire  before  it  did  much  damage.  At 
midnight  mamma  had  had  prepared  "egg  nog"  and 
"apple  toddy,"  and  we  all  drank  each  other's  health 
in  American  fashion.  Madame  de  Stael  looks  very  ill. 
After  all  our  guests  had  left  I  slipped  off  to  the  Maison 
Doree — quite  a  different  company.  I  managed  to  slip 
into  the  house  at  6  o'clock  without  any  of  the  servants 
seeing  me. 

What  gaiety  there  is  in  Paris  this  season  of  the  year! 
Everybody  seems  cheerful  and  happy,  and  all  is  so 
bright.  Father  and  I  dined  on  Sunday  with  the  Prince 
and  Princess  Galitzin.  Katinka  Galitzin  is  pretty  and 
full  of  fun;  we  get  on  capitally.  She  has  much  more 
liberty  than  French  girls,  being  Russian.  The  son  of  the 
Due  de  Caumont  la  Force  is  courting  her.  In  the  evening 
a  reception  at  Court.  Mamma  had  excused  herself 
on  the  plea  of  illness,  but  the  fact  is  her  religious  prin- 
ciples will  not  allow  her  to  go  to  any  big  ball  or  Court 
on  Sunday.  It  is  a  little  awkward  for  father  as  most 
of  the  big  Court  functions  are  on  Sunday.  I  forgot  to 
mention  the  splendid  ceremony  at  Notre  Dame  on 
Christmas  Eve.  The  cathedral  was  in  complete  darkness 
save  for  a  few  dim  lamps.  As  the  bell  rang  twelve  strokes 
a  burst  of  light  and  the  most  beautiful  singing  I  ever 
heard.  The  crowd  was  terrific;  several  women  fainted. 
I  was  an  hour  getting  out,  so  was  late  for  a  supper  at  the 
Doree.  Toutes  ces  "  petites  dames  !  " 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1817 

What  a  gorgeous  New  Year !  Visits,  visits — nothing 
but  visits.  My  pockets  are  empty.  Etrennes  for  all  the 
servants,  presents  to  all  the  family,  not  forgetting  my 
coulisse  friends,  has  cleared  me  out. 
Another  Court  function  on  Sunday,  which,  again  on 
the  plea  of  illness,  mamma  begged  to  be  excused.  His 
Majesty  noticed  her  absence  and  most  graciously  inquired 
if  she  were  seriously  ill.  Father,  who  is  so  absolutely 
frank,  answered:  "Sire,  I  regret  that  my  wife's  religious 
principles  prevent  her  going  to  any  entertainment  on 
Sunday."  The  King,  instead  of  being  annoyed,  answered, 
"Pray  convey  our  respects  to  Madame  Gallatin,  and  tell 
her  we  honour  her  principles  and  her  courage."  Father 
was  much  relieved. 

JANUARY  9 

To  our  immense  surprise,  a  Court  courier  arrived  this 
morning  to  say  that  his  Majesty  would  in  person  call 
at  1.30.  No  time  for  any  preparations.  Father  said, 
"We  will  receive  his  Majesty  in  absolute  simplicity,  as 
behoves  our  republic."  He  arrived  with  Monsieur  in 
a  very  simple  coach.  Mamma,  father,  the  children,  and 
myself  received  him  under  the  perron  in  the  courtyard. 
He  is  very  infirm — apologized  for  not  getting  out  of  the 
carriage.  He  handed  mamma  a  large  roll  which  was  a 
very  fine  engraving  of  himself.  Written  in  English  is 
"  To  Madam  Gallatin,  with  all  the  respect  due  to  a  woman 
who  has  principles.  Signed,  Louis."  He  greatly  admired 
Frances,  who  really  promises  to  be  very  beautiful.  Her 
complexion,  like  mamma's,  is  absolutely  perfect.  After 
much  bowing,  &c.  &c.,  he  drove  off.  It  seems  no  such 
honour  has  ever  been  conferred  by  him  before.  Every- 
body tells  father  the  King  pays  more  attention  to  him 
than  to  anybody  else.  Comte  de  Gallatin,  our  cousin, 
the  Minister  from  Wiirtemberg,  says  he  is  very  jealous. 
By  the  way,  his  story  is  an  odd  one.  His  father  was  in 
the  service  of  the  Duke  of  Brunswick  when  the  duke  was 

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1817]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

killed  at  the  Battle  of  Jena.  As  he  was  dying  he  said 
to  the  King  of  Wurtemberg,  "I  leave  to  you  my  most 
trusted  friend."  The  King  took  him  into  his  service  and 
created  him  a  Count.  Unfortunately,  this  one  only  has 
daughters.  We  are  on  the  most  intimate  terms  with 
the  family.  Poor  mamma  is  quite  dazed — the  whole 
system  of  living  is  so  entirely  different  from  that  in 
America;  this,  coupled  with  her  want  of  fluency  in 
French,  adds  to  her  troubles.  Fortunately,  we  have 
been  able  to  obtain  the  services  of  an  excellent  house- 
keeper, Madame  Berthal  by  name — a  Russian  who  speaks 
every  language  under  the  sun.  Nothing  ever  affects 
father;  he  is  always  pleased,  and  I  have  never  seen  him 
put  out  at  anything.  I  really  believe  if  he  was  given 
his  breakfast  at  midnight,  his  dinner  at  6  A.M.,  and  his 
supper  at  midday  he  would  hardly  notice  the  difference. 
I  have  just  been  seeing  the  footmen,  coachmen,  &c., 
in  their  new  liveries.  For  ordinary  occasions,  dark  blue 
plush  breeches,  yellow  waistcoats,  and  dark  blue  coats 
with  silver  buttons,  black  silk  stockings;  state  liveries, 
light  blue  breeches,  white  silk  stockings,  yellow  waistcoats, 
and  light  blue  cloth  coats  with  broad  silver  braid  and 
silver  buttons.  The  latter  is  exact,  as  dark  blue  does  not 
exist  in  heraldry. 

Father  is  a  little  doubtful,  fearing  Americans  may 
object  to  so  much  show,  but  he  feels  the  Court  of  France 
requires  it. 

Albert's  black,  Peter,  whom  we  brought  from  America, 
showed  the  cook  how  to  make  buckwheat  cakes.  This 
came  as  a  complete  surprise.  Poor  mamma  burst  out 
crying  when  she  saw  them.  Frances  is  taking  dancing 
lessons.  I  have  learnt  to  cut  a  "pigeon's  wing"  and  had 
a  great  success  at  the  Galitzin's  on  Sunday  evening.  .  .  . 
Our  cousin,  Count  Gallatin,  is  most  kind;  he  and  his 
wife  have  told  mamma  all  that  is  required  of  her  at  Court. 
We  really  are  in  a  strange  position.  Father  represents  a 
new  republic,  and  with  all  his  aristocratic  relations  here 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1817 

much  more  is  expected  of  mamma,  but  her  manners  are 
so  simple  and  so  utterly  unaffected  that  father  begs  her 
not  to  change  them  in  any  way. 

An    accident    happened    to    mamma's    berline    to-day. 
Turning  from  the  Faubourg  St.  Honore  into  the  Rue  des 
Ecuries  d'Artois,  one  of  the  hind  wheels  caught  on  the 
high    kerb    and    was    wrenched    off.     Fortunately,    the 
horses  are  very  quiet  and  were  not  frightened.    Frances 
was  a  little  cut  by  the  glass  of  the  window  she  was  sitting 
by.     The  English  Ambassadress  was  passing  at  the  time, 
and  very  kindly  insisted  upon  taking  mamma  to  the 
Embassy,    which   is   close   by.     After   having   Frances' 
face  seen  to   she  drove   mamma  home;    it   was   most 
gracious  of  her. 

•  ••••• 

I  have  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  young  American 
who  is  studying  painting,  Grayson  by  name.  He  is 
going  to  introduce  me  to  the  "grisette  world";  I  am 
looking  forward  to  it.  We  go  to  one  of  the  students' 
balls  on  Sunday  night.  I  must  keep  this  very  quiet,  as 
I  fear  father  would  be  much  annoyed.  He  does  not  mind 
how  much  I  go  out  in  the  grand  monde  but  he  dislikes 
anything  like  low  life.  He  never  had  a  youth  himself; 
he  was  penned  up  in  Geneva,  and  when  he  went  to 
America  he  lived  a  simple  life  in  the  wild  parts.  I  would 
not  care  to  do  anything  to  annoy  him. 
My  grisette  ball  was  not  a  success — the  fact  is,  it  was 
not  fit  for  any  gentleman  to  go  to;  I  am  not  particular 
but  there  are  limits.  The  men  were  much  worse  than 
the  women.  How  can  they  degrade  themselves  to  such 
an  extent!  They  left  nothing  to  the  imagination.  I 
was  determined  to  stop  to  the  end,  and  even  went  to 
supper  at  a  restaurant  at  the  Halle.  I  will  never  forget 
the  horrible  orgie.  There  were  Russian,  Spanish,  Italian, 
and  Prussian  students;  they  might  have  been  wild 
beasts  from  their  behaviour.  This  has  been  a  lesson  to 
me;  I  am  glad  of  the  experience  and  will  profit  by  it. 

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1817]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

At  the  Elysee  Bourbon  last  evening  there  was  a  little 
singing  vaudeville  played  by  children  which  was  very 
pretty;  then  supper,  and  we  danced  a  contre-danse, 
which  gave  me  a  chance  to  cut  my  "pigeon's  wings." 
I  cut  eight  in  succession  when  my  turn  came  as  advancing 
cavalier.  Madame  de  Boigne,  in  that  horrid  voice  of 
hers,  said,  "Tres  bien,  mon  jeune  Americain."  How  I 
dislike  that  woman !  I  cannot  help  it,  she  is  nothing 
but  pretension.  I  believe  she  thinks  herself  the  most 
important  person  in  France. 

I  dined  at  the  Russian  Embassy  yesterday  and  made 
such  a  fool  of  myself.  It  was  a  delightful  dinner,  and 
I  took  in  Princess  Katinka  Galitzin.  There  was  a  large 
plat  monte  of  nougat.  When  it  was  passed  to  me  the 
other  guests  had  only  taken  off  some  of  the  ornaments. 
Princess  K.  wanted  some  of  the  nougat,  so  I  boldly  stuck 
it  with  a  silver  fork;  I  did  not  think  it  was  so  brittle — 
bang  went  the  whole  thing,  scattering  the  nougat  in  all 
directions.  If  the  floor  had  only  opened !  Bits  of  the 
nougat  stuck  in  the  ladies'  hair,  on  their  necks  and 
shoulders.  I  was  filled  with  confusion.  Pozzo  di  Borgo 
exclaimed,  "Voila  I' Americain  qui  attack  le  citadel  de 
la  Russia."  This  caused  a  general  laugh  and  put  every- 
body in  a  good  humour.  I  have  not  got  over  it  yet. 
I  think  the  ladies  forgave  me  as  I  am  so  young. 
Mamma  is  so  tiresome.  When  we  were  children,  every 
Saturday  night  we  had  to  take  a  powder  and  in  the 
morning  a  black  draught — always  administered  by 
mamma  in  person.  She  really  forgets  I  am  no  longer  a 
child;  it  is  all  very  well  for  Frances  and  Albert.  I  had 
a  bad  headache  for  several  days,  and  asked  mamma's 
maid  to  give  me  a  powder.  To  my  horror,  at  6  o'clock 
this  morning  (without  knocking)  in  walked  mamma  with 
a  black  draught  in  her  hand  and  a  frilled  nightcap  on 
her  head.  No  use  resisting;  but  as  she  left  the  room  I 
said,  "  Merci,  Madame  I'Ambassadrice."  I  don't  think 
she  quite  liked  the  tone  I  said  it  in.  ... 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1817 

TUESDAY 

I  am  in  horrible  disgrace.  The  Russian  Ambassador 
gave  mamma  a  beautiful  cat.  It  is  always  in  a  large 
basket  in  her  boudoir.  Yesterday  some  people  were 
coming  to  dejeuner.  I  was  early  and  alone  in  the  boudoir 
where  we  always  assemble  when  en  petite  committee. 
Mamma  had  been  sent  a  quantity  of  Madonna  lilies 
which  were  in  a  vase.  I  do  not  know  what  possessed  me, 
but  I  took  one  up  and  commenced  to  "annunciate" 
the  cat  in  solemn  tones.  I  had  my  back  to  the  door, 
when  I  suddenly  heard  my  name  pronounced — "James," 
but  in  such  a  tone  as  only  mamma  can  say  it.  I  was 
saved  for  the  moment  by  the  Due  and  Duchesse  de 
Clermont-Tonnerre  being  announced.  I  hardly  dared 
speak  at  table  as  I  knew  I  was  in  disgrace.  Dear  mamma's 
French  is  very  doubtful,  and  she  never  can  get  a  name 
right.  There  was  a  pause  in  the  general  conversation. 
She  turned  to  the  duke  and  said,  "How  is  Madame  de 
Bide,"  meaning  Madame  de  Bude,  the  grandmother 
of  the  duchess.  This  was  really  too  much  for  me.  I 
exploded,  and  fortunately  choked,  and  had  hurriedly 
to  leave  the  table.  When  I  returned  naturally  I  apolo- 
gized, but  I  might  have  fallen  into  the  middle  of  Stone- 
henge  from  the  expression  of  their  faces.  Only  dear 
father  had  a  twinkle  in  his  eye.  He  I  know  will  get  me 
out  of  this  scrape. 

Mamma  sent  for  me  before  supper  and  I  had  a  maumis 
quart  d'heure.  I  humbly  apologized  and  was  most  re- 
pentant. I  then  threw  my  arms  around  her  and  gave  her 
a  good  hug.  She  gave  me  six  tracts,  one  for  each  day 
of  the  week;  I  promised  to  read  them.  The  funniest 
fact  of  it  is  that  Mourussa,  the  cat,  gave  birth  to  six 
kittens  in  the  night.  I  only  suggested  to  father  that 
one  might  be  called  Annunciata.  He  did  not  answer 
but  looked  out  of  the  window. 

I  am  very  sorry  for  mamma;  I  can  see  she  is  not 
happy.  Father  is  so  occupied  that  I  do  not  think  he 

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notices  it.  It  is  hard  for  her:  she  speaks  so  little  French, 
has  really  no  friends  whom  she  cares  for,  and  her  position 
is  a  very  difficult  one.  The  Court  is  so  hemmed  in  by 
etiquette  to  which  she  is  not  accustomed.  She  does  not 
understand  the  ways  of  Frenchwomen  of  the  grand 
monde  and  is  continually  shocked.  Indeed  I  am  not 
surprised  the  only  women  she  finds  anything  in  common 
with  are  the  ladies  of  the  English  Embassy  and  some 
of  the  English  residents  in  Paris.  There  are  few  Ameri- 
cans, and  those  that  are  here  are  mostly  in  commerce 
and  without  education.  I  went  with  her  two  days  ago 
to  call  on  a  Mrs.  P.,  the  wife  of  a  very  rich  but  common 
American.  They  have  recently  bought  a  very  fine  hotel 
in  the  Rue  de  Varennes;  they  sold  all  the  beautiful  old 
furniture  and  have  refurnished  it  in  execrable  taste,  but 
she  is  evidently  very  proud  of  it  and  insisted  upon  showing 
us  all  the  reception-rooms.  In  one  room  there  was  a 
large  bronze  replica  of  a  statue  by  "John  of  Bologna." 
For  something  to  say,  I  admired  it.  She  folded  her 
arms  and,  with  a  palpable  wink,  said,  "Bologny  done  it, 
but  I  am  going  to  have  pantaloons  made  for  it  when  I 
receive."  Mamma's  face  was  a  study.  She  relaxed  into 
a  smile  when  the  poor  woman  offered  her  molasses  candy 
and  dough-nuts,  saying  she  made  them  herself  to  remind 
her  of  home. 

Now  that  the  gaieties  are  over  I  am  hard  at  work 
again;  the  continual  writing,  copying  of  documents, 
and  so  forth  is  very  trying.  Father  cannot  pin  the 
Due  de  Richelieu  down  to  anything  definite. 

FEBRUARY 

To  father's  great  delight,  Lafayette  dined  here  last  week, 
Baron  Humboldt,  Madame  de  Stael,  Due  and  Duchesse 
Plaisance,  Monsieur  la  Place,  Pozzo  di  Borgo,  and  the 
de  Broglies.  A  rather  amusing  incident.  We  were  all 
assembled  in  the  drawing-room.  Monsieur  de  Lafayette 
had  not  arrived.  Monsieur  la  Place  was  talking  to  me 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALJATIN 

when  Lafayette  was  announced.  La  Place  turned  very 
pale.  Just  as  dinner  was  announced  he  went  up  to 
father  begging  leave  to  retire,  as  he  had  been  ill  and 
felt  very  faint.  It  seems  he  found  it  impossible  to  sit 
at  the  same  table  with  Lafayette  on  account  of  his 
relations  to  the  Bourbons.  This  amused  Madame  de 
Stael  very  much,  and  I  think  the  dinner  was  gayer 
without  him.  Madame  Bonaparte  has  announced  her 
arrival  from  America  in  May. 

There  has  not  been  a  lull  in  the  gaieties,  which  I  thought 
were  over.  Invitations  keep  pouring  in.  Mamma  only 
accepts  those  which  she  is  obliged  to  as  it  fatigues  her  so 
much;  father  the  same,  so  I  have  to  represent  the  family 
on  all  occasions.  When  we  are  at  home  en  famille, 
which  both  mamma  and  father  prefer,  I  find  it  intolerably 
dull.  They  both  read  or  write  and  rarely  speak.  Frances 
goes  to  bed  very  early,  so  does  Albert.  Mamma  retires 
at  10.30;  father  sits  up  nearly  all  night.  About  11 
o'clock  I  begin  to  yawn,  and  off  I  go,  but  not  to  bed;  I 
generally  do  not  get  home  until  3  and  4  in  the  morning. 
I  hate  this  sort  of  deception.  When  I  am  twenty-one 
I  will  openly  avow  my  sins. 

Skating  all  day  on  the  Petit  Lac  in  the  Bois  de  Bologne; 
I  enjoy  it  immensely.  It  seems  so  funny,  hardly  any 
of  the  French  ladies  can  even  stand  on  their  skates. 
The  men  are  really  too  absurd. 

A  few  Russians  and  Poles  skate  well,  but  all  are  very 
cheerful.  Large  bonfires  are  lighted  on  the  bank  so 
that  we  can  warm  ourselves.  The  Galitzins  brought 
some  punch  and  cakes.  They  allow  their  daughter  to 
skate,  so  do  the  Ourousoffs.  No  French  girls,  only 
married  women.  The  G.'s  sent  two  beautiful  sledges 
that  a  man  can  push  from  behind — one  in  the  shape  of 
a  springing  tiger,  and  it  is  lined  with  tiger-skin  and 
cushions  of  the  same.  The  other,  a  large  swan,  is  most 
graceful;  this  is  lined  with  blue  velvet.  They  have  only 
just  arrived  from  Russia.  We  men  in  turn  push  the 

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different  ladies  about  on  the  ice.  I  don't  think  I  cared 
much  about  it.  The  King's  coach  passed  at  the  very 
fast  pace  that  it  is  always  driven;  much  to  our  surprise, 
it  returned  and  stopped  for  his  Majesty  to  watch  us. 
We — of  course,  the  men — uncovered,  but  he  most 
graciously  sent  one  of  his  gentlemen  to  say  that  we  were 
not  to  notice  him  but  go  on  with  our  sport,  which  he 
wished  to  watch.  He  stopped  quite  half  an  hour.  It  is 
such  a  pity  that  the  beautiful  Bois  de  Boulogne  has  been 
destroyed  I  Most  of  the  fine  trees  have  been  cut  down 
and  most  of  the  undergrowth.  This  was  done  by  the 
soldiers  of  the  Allies. 

I  have  made  some  excellent  friends  of  my  own  age  or 
a  little  older.  The  Due  de  Guiche,  the  son  of  the  Due 
de  Gramont,  Rochefoucauld,  whom  I  knew  when  I  was 
here  in  1815,  Balliet  La  Tour,  Puysegur,  are  my  intimates. 
I  have  tried  to  make  friends  with  some  of  the  attaches 
of  the  English  Embassy,  but  I  am  sorry  to  say  they  do 
not  seem  to  care  for  us  but  seem  to  shun  us  as  if  we  were 
at  war.  Later  others  may  come  with  a  different  spirit, 
as  they  are  often  changing.  Nobody  could  be  more 
gracious  than  the  Duke  of  Wellington.  Father  had  met 
him  so  often  at  Madame  de  Stael's;  she  has  that  won- 
derful gift  of  bringing  people  together  and  putting  them 
at  once  at  their  ease.  I  had  what  might  have  been  a 
most  unpleasant  adventure  last  evening.  I  had  noticed 
several  times  a  very  pretty  what  I  thought  was  a  grisette 
in  the  gardens  of  the  Palais  Royal.  She  didn't  seem 
to  mind  my  rather  bold  way  of  staring  at  her — in  fact, 
she  smiled.  As  I  am  always  ready  for  adventure,  I  wrote 
on  a  bit  of  paper  asking  for  a  rendezvous.  I  dropped  it 
just  as  she  was  approaching  me.  I  saw  her  pick  it  up. 
She  did  not  look  at  me,  but  shortly  after  a  man,  raising 
his  hat,  handed  me  a  note,  only  a  few  words,  making 
an  appointment  at  a  house  in  the  Rue  St.  Honore  for 
10.30  in  the  evening.  Naturally  I  was  there.  An  old 
woman  met  me  at  the  door.  Putting  her  finger  to  her 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1817 

lips  and  bidding  me  to  follow  her,  she  mounted  to  the 
second  floor.  Letting  us  in  with  a  key,  I  found  myself 
in  a  most  beautiful  apartment.  She  threw  open  the 
door,  and  to  my  amazement  there  was  my  grisette  with 
a  child  of  about  two  years  on  her  lap  and  one  a  year  or 
so  older  standing  by  her  side.  All  were  beautifully 
dressed,  and  sitting  by  a  little  table  was  a  man.  He 
rose,  and  with  a  bow  said,  "Monsieur,  you  are  most 
welcome  to  our  humble  home.  My  wife  has  kept  the 
children  out  of  bed  expressly  for  you  to  see  them." 
Imagine  my  deep  mortification.  She  is  Mademoiselle 

R of  the  Theatre  Francais.     It  was  a  lesson  I  will 

not  forget  and  which  I  richly  deserved.  They  both 
begged  me  to  honour  them  with  a  visit  at  any  time.  She 
knew  perfectly  well  who  I  was.  I  will  certainly  not 
forget  them.  We  are  getting  very  near  Lent  now,  when, 
of  course,  we  will  be  very  quiet.  I  love  the  spring  in 
Paris — the  Champs  Elysees  is  so  beautiful  with  the  trees 
and  brilliant  sunshine.  I  have  been  fencing  a  great 
deal  lately,  not  that  I  anticipate  a  duel;  in  fact,  I  would 
not  be  allowed  to  fight  on  account  of  father's  position — 
not  that  I  want  to  in  the  least,  but  I  think  fencing  gives 
great  ease,  grace,  and  balance.  I  took  the  children  on 
Sunday  to  Versailles.  The  great  fountains  played.  I 
took  Frances  to  see  them;  they  are  a  wonderful  sight. 
Of  course,  mamma  would  not  go,  as  it  was  Sunday.  We 
lost  Albert  and  did  not  find  him  for  several  hours.  When 
he  appeared  he  had  his  hat  covered  with  insects  and 
butterflies  on  pins  that  he  had  caught.  I  made  him 
throw  them  all  away.  He  is  really  incorrigible;  he 
ought  to  be  sent  to  a  boarding-school  or  college. 

MARCH  1817 

Now  that  Lent  has  come  we  have  much  more  leisure, 
no  Court  entertainments  of  any  kind.  Father  has  received 
an  intimation  that  he  will  be  required  to  go  to  the 
Netherlands  in  July  to  help  Mr.  Eustace  in  his  negotiations 

X03 


1817]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

re  indemnity,  &c.  &c.  He  does  not  care  much  about 
going  but  never  shirks  his  duty.  I  will  go  with  him. 
Madame  de  Stael  is  very  ill.  She  sent  for  father  to-day 
and  had  a  long  conference  with  him,  principally  about 
her  property.  He  had  advised  her  to  place  all  her 
monetary  affairs  in  the  hands  of  Monsieur  Rothschild 
of  London.  She  did  not  take  his  advice  at  the  time 
and  now  repents  it.  It  seems  she  is  much  troubled 
about  what  she  should  do  for  Mr.  Rocca  (her  husband). 
Her  great  love  for  her  daughter  is  overwhelming;  she 
wants  to  leave  her  the  bulk  of  her  property.  At  one 
moment — strong  woman  as  she  is — she  talks  of  approach- 
ing death;  the  next  moment  of  the  house  she  has  taken 
and  the  entertainments  she  intends  to  give.  Madame 
Recamier  has  a  beautiful  hotel  in  the  Rue  de  (illegible). 
She  receives  on  Thursday  evenings,  always  reclining  on 
a  chaise-longue.  She  is  certainly  very  brilliant  and  witty. 
She  does  not  like  Madame  de  Boigne  and  calls  her  une 
pretencieuse.  She  says,  "Madame  de  B.  only  acknowl- 
edges two  families,  that  of  the  Bon  Dieu  and  the 
Osmonds." 

I  think  I  have  forgotten  to  mention  the  attempt  on 
the  life  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington.  As  he  was  driving 
home  in  the  Champs  Elysees  a  shot  was  fired,  but  for- 
tunately missed  him — in  fact,  the  bullet  has  not  been 
found.  Some  malicious  people  say  he  had  the  shot  fired 
himself.  Naturally  he  has  lots  of  enemies.  So  great 
a  man  as  he  is  can  brush  such  insinuations  aside  without 
giving  them  a  thought.  He  certainly  is  the  most  impor- 
tant personage  in  France  at  present,  and  if  anything 
happened  to  him  it  would  be  a  dire  calamity.  Indeed, 
it  is  very  odd  how  persistently  rude  the  Royal  Family 
are  to  him.  He  never  shows  the  slightest  displeasure 
and  is  always  dignified  and  courtesy  itself.  Father  has 
the  greatest  admiration  for  him,  and  believes  him  to  be 
a  born  diplomatist  as  well  as  a  great  soldier  and  leader 
of  men. 

104 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1817 

I  have  just  heard  that  a  man  called  Cantillon  has  been 
arrested.  They  say  he  is  but  a  man  of  straw  and  that 
his  arrest  was  made  to  appease  the  English  and  that  he 
will  never  be  tried.  The  extraordinary  thing  is  that, 
with  the  exception  of  the  Due  de  Berri,  not  one  of  the 
Royal  Family  expressed  the  slightest  sympathy  or  con- 
gratulated the  Duke  on  his  escape. 

MARCH  26 

The  Chamber  closed  to-day.  I  am  getting  a  little  tired 
of  Lent,  mamma  will  keep  it  so  strictly.  I  see  at  times 
it  rather  annoys  father,  but  he  does  not  say  anything. 
I  can  never  quite  make  out  what  his  ideas  are  on  religion. 
He  is  a  Calvinist  and  was  brought  up  when  a  child  b 
Mile  Pictet  very  strictly.  I  think  Voltaire  and  his  ideas 
greatly  influenced  him.  I  do  not  care  what  his  religion 
is,  nobody  could  be  better  than  he  is.  Always  so  gentle, 
smoothing  over  everything  and  keeping  peace,  thoughtful 
for  everybody,  even  for  the  servants — could  there  be  a 
better  man?  I  only  wish  I  could  approach  him  in  any 
way.  Mamma  was  a  Miss  Nicholson;  I  must  have  some 
of  the  "Old  Nick"  in  me  from  that  side  of  the  family. 

MARCH  29 

Father  to-day  told  me  if  I  could  find  an  agreeable  travel- 
ling companion  that  he  would  give  me  the  money  to  go 
to  Bourg  to  see  Jacques  Cceur's  house,  which  is  so  beau- 
tiful. I  fear  my  travelling  companion  must  be  of  the 
male  sex,  although  father  did  not  stipulate  this.  It  is 
rather  a  long  journey,  quite  three  days  to  get  there. 
I  was  showing  Frances  to-day  how  I  could  tame  her 
canary.  I  drew  a  chalk-line  on  the  table,  caught  the 
little  bird,  and  laid  him  on  his  back  on  the  line.  He 
remained  perfectly  quiet.  Frances  was  delighted.  She 
put  out  her  hand  to  take  him  up.  The  poor  little  thing  did 
not  move — he  was  dead.  I  was  so  sorry.  Poor  Frances 
cried  bitterly.  I  went  out  at  once  and  bought  her 
another,  but  she  is  not  comforted. 

105 


1817]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 
APRIL  15 

I  dined  with  father  at  the  Duke  of  Wellington's  yester- 
day. Great  magnificence,  the  plate  gold.  It  is  the 
Royal  plate  sent  from  England  for  his  use.  Shoals  of 
powdered  lackeys  in  the  Wellington  liveries,  eight  gold 
candelabra  on  the  table.  In  the  centre  of  the  table  a 
huge  gold  basin  filled  with  flowers.  All  the  service  silver 
with  the  sweets  and  dessert,  and  then  all  was  gold. 
Prince  Talleyrand  was  present,  the  Due  de  Rohan, 
Duchesse  de  Courland  (niece  of  Talleyrand,  who  seems 
devoted  to  him),  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Duras,  the  Galit- 
zins,  Caumont  la  Forces,  de  Broglies,  Comte  and  Comtesse 
D'Orsay,  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Grammont,  Comtesse  de 
Boigne  and  her  brother  Osmond,  the  English  Ambassador, 
Chevalier  Stuart,  Baron  Vincent  (Austria),  the  Due  and 
Duchesse  de  Fernan-Nunez  (Spain),  Baron  Fagel  (Pays 
Bas),  Comte  and  Comtesse  Soltz  (Prussia),  Pozzo  di  Borgo 
(Russia),  Marquis  Alfieri  (Sardinia),  Prince  Castelcicala 
(Deux  Siceles),  Comte  and  Comtesse  de  Gallatin  (Wurtem- 
berg),  and  a  host  of  others.  The  Duke  was  in  fine  spirits 
and  received  congratulations  on  all  sides. 

APRIL 

At  last  the  Orleans  family  have  been  granted  permission 
to  return  to  France.  They  are  installed  at  the  Palais 
Royal.  They  were  not  well  received  by  the  King;  in 
fact,  the  only  members  of  the  Royal  Family  who  greeted 
them  cordially  were  the  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berri. 
I  went  officially  with  father  to  the  Palais  Royal  after 
he  had  requested  an  audience.  We  were  received  in 
the  simplest  manner  possible.  They  seem  like  any 
ordinary  bourgeois  family.  The  Duke*  is  short,  marked 

*  Louis  Philippe  d'Orteans,  Due  d'Orleans,  born  September  6,  1773, 
reigned  as  Louis  Philippe  I,  died  in  England  (to  which  country  he  fled 
in  1848)  August  26,  1850.  He  was  the  son  of  Philippe  Egalite",  Due 
d'Orteans,  who  voted  for  the  death  of  Louis  XVI, 

ioa 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1817 

Bourbon  features,  decidedly  common-looking.  The 
Duchess  is  not  pretty  but  most  gracious  and  charming, 
Mademoiselle  as  well.  We  stopped  quite  half  an  hour, 
his  Highness  asking  many  questions  about  America,  of 
which  he  seems  to  have  great  knowledge.  He  spoke  of 
Monsieur  de  Lafayette  and  was  au  courant  with  father's 
intimacy  with  him.  Driving  home,  father,  who  rarely 
expresses  any  opinion  about  people,  said,  "That  man  is 
an  intriguer;  I  would  not  trust  him."  We  had  seen 
and  been  presented  to  him  in  England  three  years  ago. 
A  Court  reception  to-morrow. 

I  had  rather  an  unfortunate  adventure  some  few  nights 
since,  but  it  I  hope  will  never  get  to  father's  ears.  After 
going  to  the  opera,  a  charming  little  danseuse,  whose 
acquaintance  I  had  only  just  made,  asked  me  if  I  would 
sup  with  her  at  her  apartment.  Much  to  my  surprise 
I  found  the  greatest  luxury — some  personage  evidently 
in  the  background.  A  round  table  with  converts  for 
two.  We  had  just  commenced  to  sup  when  I  heard  a 
noise  in  the  antechamber.  My  charmer  exclaimed, 
"  Mon  Dieu,  je  suis  perdue,  cachez-vous."  I  rushed  behind 
a  curtain.  The  door  opened,  and  to  my  dismay  I 
Recognized  the  voice  of  the  Due  de  Berri.  He  said, 
"So  mademoiselle  has  an  amant."  Clare  tremblingly 
answered,  "  '  Non,  Monseigneur,  it  was  only  mamma  who 
I  was  giving  a  little  supper  to  as  you  did  not  arrive." 
He  asked,  "What  has  become  of  her?"  "She  has  gone, 
Monseigneur,  as  she  was  not  properly  dressed  to  receive 
your  Highness."  By  bad  luck  I  had  left  my  hat  on 
a  chair.  The  Duke  picked  it  up  and  said  with  a  laugh, 
"So,  madame,  wire  mere  wears  a  man's  hat,  which 
she  has  forgotten."  I  felt  it  was  time  for  me  to  discover 
myself,  no  matter  what  the  consequences  might  be.  I 
stepped  out  from  behind  the  curtain,  saying,  "Mon- 
seigneur, it  is  my  hat;  I  am  mademoiselle's  mother." 
He  broke  into  fits  of  laughter,  poor  Clare  into  tears.  He 
laughed  so  heartily  that  I  could  not  help  joining  him; 

107 


1817]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

he  then  became  serious  and  in  the  kindest  manner  said, 
"Young  man,  you  have  acted  in  a  most  honourable 
manner  not  to  play  eavesdropper.  Tout  est  pardonne. 
Let  us  sup  together."  Clare  rang  and  ordered  another 
convert  to  be  laid,  and  we  had  a  most  cheerful  supper. 
When  he  rose  to  leave  he  begged  me  to  accompany  him, 
which,  of  course,  I  did.  Going  down  the  stairs  he  took 
me  by  the  arm  and  said  most  kindly,  "I  am  really  the 
one  to  blame;  here  we  have  met  as  Mr.  Smith  and 
Mr.  Jones,"  adding,  "in  fact,  you  have  unknowingly 
done  me  a  great  favour,  as  I  was  most  anxious  to  get  rid 
of  Mile  Clare;  you  have  given  me  the  opportunity.  I 
am  your  debtor,  but  do  not  forget  I  am  Mr.  Smith." 
He  always  speaks  English  to  me,  even  at  Court. 
I  have  not  seen  Clare  again  and  do  not  intend  doing 
so.  I  met  the  Due  yesterday.  He  burst  out  laughing 
and  said,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  "  Have  you  seen  your 
friend,  Mr.  Jones,  lately?  Mr.  Smith,  I  hear,  has  gone 
back  to  England." 

The  Prince  de  Conde  is  very  ill.  His  son,  the  Due 
de  Bourbon,  it  seems,  leads  the  most  extraordinary  life — 
only  cares  for  people  of  the  lower  classes,  shows  himself 
in  public  with  the  commonest  of  drabs,  hates  royalty, 

and  is  unfit  for  decent  society. 

f 

PARIS 

Much  to  my  delight,  Lord  Huntly  (now  Duke  of  Gordon) 
called  to-day.  He  is  very  old  but  looks  wonderfully 
well.  He  said,  "You  look  a  man  now;  when  I  last  saw 
you  you  were  a  child."  He  is  a  very  great  favourite  at 
Court.  Father  went  again  to-day  to  see  Madame  de  Stael. 
He  came  back  very  depressed,  as  he  fears  she  will  not 
last  long.  She  was  very  excited,  talking  about  Jacques 
Coeur,  from  whom  she  is  descended  through  the  Gallatins. 
Coeur  was  certainly  an  extraordinary  man.  I  never 
heard  that  any  of  our  family  benefited  by  his  fortune. 
I  intend  some  day  going  to  Bourgs  to  see  his  palace, 

108 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1817 

which  they  say  is  the  finest  Renaissance  palace  in  exist- 
ence. If  Jeanne  d'Arc  had  not  had  those  absurd  visions 
we  might  be  rich.  Madame  de  Stael  says  that  both  she 
and  father  get  their  brains  from  Cceur;  they  certainly 
got  nothing  else.  Father  does  not  inherit  the  latter's 
love  of  show.  I  really  believe  he  would  be  perfectly 
happy  in  one  room  with  any  amount  of  strong  segars 
and  a  few  clever  men  to  discuss  abstruse  questions  with. 
I  am  glad  to  say  he  has  a  certain  amount  of  pride,  which 
makes  him  live  in  a  proper  style,  which  his  present 
position  demands. 

JULY 

Father  was  sent  for  this  morning  as  Madame  de  Stael 
is  worse.  He  is  much  distressed,  as  he  has  the  most 
profound  admiration  for  her. 

JULY  18 

Madame  de  Stael  died  yesterday.  She  is  to  be  buried 
at  Coppet;  so,  at  least,  is  the  present  intention.  We  are 
obliged  to  leave  for  Brussels  to-morrow,  greatly  to  father's 
regret,  as  he  would  have  liked  to  have  paid  his  last 
respects  to  her  by  going  to  Coppet  for  the  funeral.  He 
considers  her  loss  a  public  one,  that  she  was  a  great 
power  and  that  she  had  more  influence  on  public  opinion 
than  any  other  person  excepting  the  actual  Ministers  in 
office.  Her  mind,  instead  of  diminishing  with  years, 
improved,  and  she  became  more  and  more  brilliant.  The 
Duchesse  de  Broglie  is  inconsolable. 
I  saw  Auguste  de  Stael  this  morning. 
Arrived  yesterday  in  Brussels.  Are  not  well  lodged 
in  the  Rue  de  la  Loi.  Father  wishes  to  confer  with 
Baron  Fagel.  After  a  week  of  idleness  the  King  has 
decided  that  the  negotiations  must  be  held  at  the  Hague. 
After  all,  we  need  not  have  come  here  until  much  later. 
We  are  stopping  here  for  several  weeks  before  going  to 

109 


1817]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

the  Hague.  It  is  extremely  dull;  everybody  out  of 
town,  houses  shut  up,  very  hot,  and  absolutely  nothing 
for  me  to  do.  Father  has  given  me  permission  to  go  to 
Ostend  for  some  bathing,  which  I  certainly  will  take 
advantage  of. 

JULY  29:  OSTEND 

Arrived  here  to-day,  a  lovely  place  in  the  Dunes.  I  am 
at  a  very  comfortable  hostelry,  the  Hotel  d'Allemagne. 
The  bathing  splendid.  Full  of  all  the  bourgeoisie  from 
Brussels,  Ghent,  Bruges,  &c.  &c.  Very  amusing  watch- 
ing the  pacquets  coming  from  England.  The  people  of 
the  place  rough  Flemish — loud,  coarse  voices  but  good- 
natured  and  healthy.  Fishing  is  the  chief  industry. 

AUGUST  3 

I  went  to  Bruges  yesterday  and  stopped  the  night — such 
an  interesting  place  but  falling  into  decay.  Wonderful 
buildings  and  a  beautiful  cathedral  with  such  a  sweet 
chime  of  bells.  I  have  made  friends  with  a  nice  English- 
man, a  Mr.  Marchmont,  who  went  with  me.  It  is  sad 
to  see  a  place  once  so  opulent  and  of  such  importance 
practically  finished.  It  has  played  in  the  past  such  an 
important  part  in  history.  Ostend  interests  me  on 
account  of  the  siege.  One  of  our  ancestors  was  killed 
there.  In  the  "Etrennes  de  la  Noblesse,"  which  is  the 
peerage  of  France  before  the  Revolution,  volume  1778, 
is  the  following  anecdote  historique: 

"Francois  de  Gallatin  jut  Hesse  mortelment  au  siege 
d'Ostende — a  I'attaque  du  chemin  convert  ou  il  avoit  com- 
battu  avec  la  plus  grande  valeur,  a  la  tete  des  trois  compagnies 
de  Grenadiers  du  Regiment  de  la  Cour-au-Chantre,  qu'il 
commandoit,  et  qui  y  furent  ecrapus — on  lui  coupa  la  cuisse 
— quelques  instants  avant  sa  mort  on  lui  demanda  ses 
derniers  volontes  pour  son  fils,  encore  enfant:  'Qu'il 
suive  mon  exemple,'  repondit  il." 

110 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1817 

Father  has  written  to  me  to  join  him  at  the  Hague  on 
August  15,  so  I  will  stop  here  until  then.  I  forgot  to 
mention  that  when  I  was  at  Brussels  I  visited  the  plains 
of  Waterloo.  I  shut  my  eyes  and  tried  to  picture  the 
whole  scene  of  the  battle.  I  cannot  but  feel  pity  for 
the  Emperor — to  have  risen  to  the  great  heights  that  he 
did  and  now  a  prisoner  at  such  a  horrible  place  as  St. 
Helena.  He  was  a  very  great  man  and  he  rose  alone 
without  any  help.  He,  I  am  certain,  had  great  magnetic 
force.  I  think  his  family  were  a  great  drag  on  him.  His 
brothers,  with  one  exception,  were  full  of  greed. 
My  friend  Marchmont  has  not  turned  out  quite  as 
nice  as  I  thought  he  was.  He  asked  me  yesterday  if  I 
would  lend  him  one  hundred  francs,  saying  he  was 
expecting  money  from  England.  He  did  not  turn  up 
at  dejeuner  this  morning,  and  when  I  asked  for  him  mine 
host  with  surprise  said,  "Did  not  monsieur  know  that 
Monsieur  Marchmont  left  by  the  packet  this  morning 
for  England?"  With  this  he  handed  me  a  letter — 
it  was  only  a  few  lines — which  showed  me  what  a  dupe 
I  had  been:  "Young  man,  never  lend  money  to  a 
stranger  in  a  foreign  country,"  signed  "Marchmont." 
I  hope  some  day  to  meet  my  fine  gentleman. 


AUGUST  15:  THE  HAGUE 

Arrived  here  last  night,  but  father  will  not  arrive  until 
to-morrow.  We  are  lodged  in  a  very  nice  house  which 
adjoins  one  occupied  by  Mr.  Eustace.*  We  are  to  eat 
with  him.  Lucien  is  with  me.  If  Brussels  was  dull, 
what  is  this  place?  It  is  absolutely  dead.  Very  clean 
outwardly,  but  they  tell  me  the  people  are  dirty  and  that 
it  is  all  outward  show,  that  the  interiors  of  the  houses 
are  very  untidy — not  a  bath  in  any  of  the  houses  and 
no  public  baths  like  in  Paris. 

*  American  minister  at  The  Hague. 
Ill 


1817]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 
AUGUST  20 

Very  little  work  to  do  at  present.  I  had  to  confess  to 
father  how  I  had  been  duped  at  Ostend.  He  said  he 
hoped  it  was  a  lesson  to  me,  but  at  once  handed  me  five 
napoleons. 

AUGUST  28:  THE  HAGUE 

A  charming  surprise.  A  Baron  Constant  Rebecque 
whose  mother  was  born  Gallatin,  called  to  see  father. 
They  have  a  beautiful  place  in  the  country.  He  invited 
us  to  stop  with  him.  Father  cannot  leave  but  accepted 
for  me.  I  go  there  to-morrow. 

SEPTEMBER  2 

I  came  back  from  the  Rebecque's  this  morning.  It  is  a 
lovely  place.  I  was  sorry  it  was  not  the  tulip  season  as 
they  have  many  of  them.  We  shot  some  hares  and  foxes; 
the  latter,  it  seems,  do  a  lot  of  damage.  What  would 
they  say  to  this  in  England,  where  a  fox  is  sacred  ? 
I  must  say  the  Dutch  nobility  are  delightful,  so  simple  and 
cordial.  I  felt  at  home  at  once.  Madame  de  Rebecque 
was  so  pleased  to  see  anybody  of  her  name.  She  said 
if  father  could  not  spare  the  time  to  go  and  see  her  she 
would  go  to  the  Hague  to  see  him.  I  find  all  what  we 
call  "hot  cakes"  in  America  are  of  Dutch  origin.  We 
have  "waffles"  and  "griddle  cakes"  every  day  for 
breakfast.  Dutch  girls  are  not  pretty.  They  say  they 
make  good  wives.  I  am  not  surprised  as  they  cannot 
have  any  other  temptations.  Two,  Mile  von  Briennen 
and  Mile  Bentinck,  all  round  and  fat. 

THE  HAGUE 

Hard  work  now.  It  seems  they  laugh  at  the  idea  of  an 
indemnity,  which  annoys  father  very  much.  He  feels 
his  mission  is  quite  useless.  We  will  soon  go  back  to 
Paris.  I  am  delighted,  as  it  is  not  gay  here. 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1817 

SEPTEMBER 

We  leave  on  the  22nd.  First  pay  a  visit  to  the  Rebecques. 
Father  is  the  most  extraordinary  person.  After  all  his 
trouble  coming  here,  he  has  only  asked  for  his  actual 
out-of-pocket  expenses.  Mr.  Eustace  says  it  is  quite 
absurd.  He  cares  less  forv  money  than  anybody  I  have 
ever  heard  of.  I  only  discovered  a  short  time  since  that 
he  had  paid  all  his  grandmother's  debts  in  Geneva.  She 
was  a  most  reckless  and  extravagant  person,  and  certainly 
did  not  consider  him  in  any  way. 

SEPTEMBER  30:  PARIS 

Back  again  in  Paris.  Mamma  and  the  children  are  at 
Fontainebleau.  We  join  them  in  a  few  days.  Mr. 
Sheldon  must  have  a  holiday,  so  our  stay  in  the  country 
will  be  very  short.  Rumours  of  a  change  of  Government. 
The  Duke  Decazes*  is  spoken  of.  They  say  Monsieur  is 
intriguing  against  the  King. 

OCTOBER 

Fontainebleau  is  deadly  dull — nothing  to  do  but  ride  in 
the  forest.  Of  course,  it  is  very  beautiful,  but  I  soon  tire 
of  it  as  I  ride  alone.  The  Chasse  will  soon  begin,  I 
am  glad  to  say.  We  have  a  very  comfortable  house  on 
the  outskirts  of  the  town  quite  close  to  the  forest. 

OCTOBER  12 

The  Marquis  de  Breteuil  sent  me  an  invitation  to  hunt 
with  him.  I  have  just  come  back.  It  was  a  chasse  au 
sanglier.  The  wild  boars  abound  in  the  forest  and  at 
times  are  very  dangerous.  It  was  all  very  new  to  me 
and  struck  me  as  rather  theatrical.  The  boarhounds 
were  very  fine,  a  large  pack — the  huntsmen,  &c.,  all 

*  Monsieur  Elie  Decazes,  born  September  28,  1780,  died  1860. 
After  the  assassination  of  the  Due  de  Berri  in  1820  he  was  created 
due  and  given  the  English  Embassy;  was  a  great  favorite  of  Louis 
XVIII. 

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in  the  King's  livery.  Huge  cors  de  chasse,  which  they 
put  their  heads  through  as  one  does  through  a  life-pre- 
server; at  every  opportunity  possible  they  blow  blasts 
on  these  latter.  When  a  poor  "piggy"  was  killed  his 
dying  moments  were  cheered  by  a  lively  tune  played  on 
at  least  six  of  the  horns;  still  it  is  an  amusement  for  me. 
There  were  several  ladies  of  Court  in  the  Royal  Costume  at 
the  Chasse,  which  really  made  a  beautiful  scene.  I  expected 
every  moment  to  see  the  curtain  come  down  as  it  does 
at  the  play.  I  believe  in  the  time  of  Louis  XIV  they 
followed  the  hunt  in  huge  gilt  and  painted  coaches. 

NOVEMBER  6 

We  stopped  until  the  end  of  October  at  Fontainebleau 
and  are  now  again  installed  in  the  Rue  de  1'Universite. 
Paris  is  very  gay.  I  love  the  boulevards — so  gay  and 
everybody  seems  so  cheerful.  What  a  light-hearted 
people  the  French  are.  I  am  glad  to  say  mamma  seems 
a  little  happier.  I  am  sure  she  will  end  by  liking  Paris. 

NOVEMBER  9 

We  have  had  a  sheaf  of  dispatches  from  home,  which 
I  have  to  go  through  and  copy.  No  wonder  my  hand- 
writing is  becoming  illegible,  my  fingers  are  so  cramped. 
The  Caumont  la  Forces  have  a  large  supper  to-night  to 
which  we  are  bidden.  It  has  been  so  dull  and  cold  all 
day,  I  think  we  are  going  to  have  a  downfall  of  snow. 

NOVEMBER  10 

We  could  hardly  get  home  from  the  la  Forces  last  night. 
It  had  rained  a  little  and  then  came  a  frost  making  the 
streets  like  glass;  in  fact,  they  call  it  ver  glas.  The 
coachman  and  footman  had  to  get  down  and  lead  the 
horses.  I  did  also,  and  could  hardly  keep  my  own  footing. 
Fortunately,  the  horses  had  been  roughed.  We  were 
quite  two  hours  doing  a  journey  which  ordinarily  takes 
less  than  half  an  hour.  Father  has  sent  to  Geneva  for  a 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1817 

fine  gold  watch  for  me  for  my  Christmas  present.  He 
certainly  spoils  me. 

I  often  wonder  if  anybody  got  hold  of  my  diary  after 
I  am  dead  what  an  ass  they  would  think  me.  I  will  leave 
strict  instructions  to  burn  it.  Frances  and  I  are  both 
learning  a  new  dance,  the  "  Schottische."  It  is  very  pretty 
and  quite  the  fashionable  rage. 

NOVEMBER  20 

I  was  presented  to  a  Madame  Chapelle  last  night  at  the 
opera.  She  is  a  daughter  of  the  Regent  Orleans  and 
Madame  de  Genlis.  She  is  not  pretty  but  has  great  charm 
of  manner — a  grande  dame.  She  has  asked  me  to  call 
on  her.  She  receives  on  Friday  evening.  They  say  all 
Paris  goes  to  her.  Mamma  allowed  me  to  take  Frances 
for  a  walk  on  the  boulevard  yesterday.  She  is  so  young 
it  does  not  make  any  matter;  were  she  eighteen  it  would 
be  impossible.  Fancy  the  customs  of  different  countries. 
Here  we  are  hemmed  in  by  Etiquette.  I  have  a  bad 
toothache  and  am  going  to  bed. 

NOVEMBER  21 

I  waked  this  morning  and  my  right  cheek  felt  as  if  it 
were  going  to  burst.  I  got  up  and  looked  in  the  mirror. 
Horrors,  I  did  not  recognize  myself !  I  cannot  see  my 
right  eye  and  my  cheek  is  like  an  apple-dumpling.  I  am 
going  to  send  for  some  leeches.  I  sent  Lucien  for  my 
breakfast.  Of  course  mamma  thought  I  was  ill  and 
arrived  with  her  medicine-chest.  She  said  in  any  case 
a  powder  would  do  me  good.  I  put  my  foot  down  firmly 
and  said  I  would  not  take  one.  She  left  the  room  saying, 
"It  is  all  biliousness."  As  if  a  swollen  face  was  bile! 
She  does  annoy  me.  She  even  asked  me  what  I  had 
been  eating. 

NOVEMBER  25 

My  face  quite  normal  again  and  I  went  out  to-day.  It 
was  very  cold,  so  I  thought  it  best  to  go  quietly  and  see 

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1817]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

Mile  Laflage  of  the  opera.  She  had  a  great  wood-fire, 
and  I  showed  her  how  to  make  toast  as  we  do  in  America. 
I  did  not  go  home  until  she  had  to  go  to  the  opera.  She 
is  in  the  ballet  and  did  not  have  to  leave  until  8 
o'clock.  I  got  home  in  time  for  supper,  found  the  kitchen 
chimney  on  fire,  a  great  crowd,  and  a  "file"  passing 
buckets  all  the  way  from  the  Seine  up  one  side  and  down 
the  other.  It  was  soon  put  out.  Very  little  damage  done 
but  all  the  supper  ruined.  We  had  to  make  the  best 
of  it,  and  ate  cake  and  bread  and  milk. 

DECEMBER  1 

Already  preparations  are  being  made  for  Christmas.  We 
are  going  to  have  a  Christmas  party.  I  proposed  bobbing 
for  apples  and  snap-dragon.  For  once  my  family 
approved  of  my  idea.  We  are  going  to  have  a  very 
young  party  for  Frances.  Mamma  enjoys  arranging 
this  sort  of  thing.  I  am  trying  to  think  of  something 
new  to  amuse  them.  I  proposed  kiss-in-the-ring  and  hunt- 
the-slipper.  Mamma  vetoed  both  as  improper — so  wila. 

DECEMBER  8 

Last  night  a  splendid  ball  at  Court.  Mamma  was  very 
fine:  all  Madame  de  Gallatin-Vaudenet's  jewels — which 
were  all  poor  father  inherited  from  her;  in  fact,  he  had 
voluntarily  paid  all  her  immense  debts — also  some  fine 
lace.  Mamma's  train  was  purple  velvet  with  white  lace. 
The  diamonds  are  all  mounted  in  Louis  XV  settings. 
One  huge  aigrette  with  briolet  diamonds  in  her  turban, 
which  was  of  gold  tissue.  On  her  forehead  a  ferronniere 
of  diamonds — beautiful  brooches.  Her  dress  was  gold 
and  purple  striped  tissue.  The  Landgrave  of  Hesse 
Cassel  gave  Madame  Gallatin-Vaudenet  most  of  the 
jewels. 

The  Duchesse  d'Angouleme  was  regal  in  white  with 
a  train  entirely  of  ermine.  She  was  absolutely  covered 
with  jewels — pearls  and  diamonds.  She  is  the  most 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1817 

royal-looking  personage  one  can  possibly  imagine.  It 
was  dreadfully  crowded.  All  was  over  at  midnight. 

DECEMBER  12 

I  have  decided  on  my  surprise  for  our  Christmas  party. 
I  am  having  a  huge  imitation  plum-pudding  made  of 
cardboard.  It  is  large  enough  to  hold  a  little  girl  of  ten 
dressed  as  a  fairy.  She  will  distribute  flowers  and 
sweeties.  Each  package  is  to  have  a  small  flag  on  it; 
the  flags  are  to  be  of  all  nations. 

DECEMBER  15 

Nothing  but  balls  every  night.  I  am  quite  worn  out. 
Fortunately  there  is  hardly  any  work  to  be  done  for 
father,  or  I  would  have  to  go  to  bed  early. 

DECEMBER  24 

All  is  now  ready  for  our  Christmas  party.  The  ball- 
room looks  very  nice,  and  I  keep  even  the  stable  men 
frotteing  to  get  the  floor  in  fine  condition.  Supper 
is  to  be  before  we  dance  and  play  our  jeux  d'innocence. 
Frances  is  so  excited,  we  will  not  let  her  see  anything  of 
our  preparation.  I  tell  her  unless  she  keeps  quiet  she 
will  have  a  red  nose. 

DECEMBER  26 

Everything  went  off  capitally.  After  supper,  which 
was  8  o'clock,  we  started  our  game.  Snap-dragon,  a 
novelty,  was  a  great  success.  We  were  allowed  to  play 
kiss-in-the-ring,  suppressing  the  kiss;  it  was  like 
"Hamlet"  minus  the  Prince  of  Denmark.  Of  course,  it 
was  mamma.  My  plum-pudding  was  even  a  surprise  to 
mamma.  At  11  o'clock  I  had  a  great  bell  rung.  In 
marched  four  footmen  carrying  the  pudding  on  high. 
I  took  a  great  knife  as  if  to  cut  it,  and,  pulling  a  string 
at  the  same  time,  it  fell  open.  The  little  fairy  was  so 
dainty.  I  had  her  taught  some  verses  called  "Noel," 

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1818]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

which  she  declaimed  as  only  a  child  can.  After  the 
little  packages  were  distributed,  we  danced  a  contre- 
danse.  The  young  girls  were  all  so  pretty  I  wanted  to 
kiss  them  all.  The  poor  little  child  who  was  in  the 
plum-pudding  burst  into  tears  and  would  not  be  com- 
forted. She  wanted  her  mother,  who  is  only  a  dresser 
at  the  opera,  and  who  was  to  call  for  her  at  midnight, 
not  being  able  to  leave  her  work  before  then.  Mamma 
took  her  on  her  lap  and  comforted  her  until  she  fell 
asleep  from  sheer  exhaustion.  When  her  mother  did 
arrive,  father,  with  his  usual  kindness,  sent  her  home  in 
a  coach  which  he  had  ordered.  All  the  young  people 
loaded  her  with  bon-bons,  &c.  I  gave  her  a  great  big 
doll  which  I  had  bought  for  the  purpose.  She  will  be 
happy  when  she  wakes  to-morrow  morning. 

JANUARY  1,  1818:  NEW  YEAR'S  DAY 

After  we  had  all  drunk  each  other's  health  in  egg  nog 
I  went  out  to  commence  the  New  Year — I  fear  badly. 
I  don't  think  I'll  record  in  my  diary  where  I  went. 


JANUARY 

A  delightful  dinner  and  sauterie  at  the  Pictet  de 
Rochment's.  He  is  the  Bavarian  charge  d'affaires  and 
a  connexion  of  father's.  Mile  Pictet,  who  brought 
father  up  in  his  early  days,  was  his  aunt.  Pozzo  di  Borgo, 
Comte  and  Comtesse  de  Grotz  (Hanover),  Marquis  and 
Marquise  Alfieri  (a  descendant  of  the  great  Italian  poet — 
he  represents  Sardinia  here),  Count  and  Countess  Goltz 
(he  represents  Prussia),  and  the  Chevalier  Stuart,  as 
they  call  him  here,  the  English  Ambassador — in  fact, 
quite  a  diplomatic  gathering.  For  the  sauterie,  Comte  and 
Comtesse  de  Gallatin,  who  brought  their  two  daughters, 
the  Prince  and  Princesse  Castelcicala  (Deux  Siceles),  the 
Baillet-Latours,  Comte  and  Comtesse  Caumont  la  Force, 
the  Galitzins.  and  many  others.  There  was  a  pavane 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1818 

dance  by  six  young  men  and  six  ladies,  a  contre-danse 
and  several  "minuets,"  then  a  "Roger  de  Coverley" 
proposed  by  the  English  Ambassadress;  but  few  knew 
the  dance,  but  on  once  seeing  the  four  first  couples  they 
quickly  acquired  it  and  acquitted  themselves  very  well 
amongst  much  laughter. »  When  there  is  a  gathering 
of  young  people  of  this  kind  it  is  much  gayer.  Even 
father,  Pozzo  di  Borgo,  and  the  Chevalier  Stuart  joined 
in  the  dance.  I  had  for  partner  Katinka  Galitzin.  My 
newly  acquired  "pigeon's  wings"  were  much  applauded. 
We  supped  at  midnight.  Mamma  slept  in  the  coach 
going  home. 

JANUARY  6 

Splendid  skating  on  the  petit  lac,  which  was  reserved. 
I  got  home  just  in  time  to  dress  to  go  to  a  twelfth-night 
party  at  Comtesse  de  Gallatin's.  After  cutting  the 
gateau  du  roi,  Puysegur  drew  the  bean  in  his  bit  and 
Mile  Caumont  la  Force  found  the  other  one.  They 
were  duly  clothed  in  red  velvet  mantles  trimmed  with 
ermine,  gold  paper  crowns  on  their  heads,  and  they 
were  the  reigning  king  and  queen  for  the  evening.  It 
was  put  to  the  vote  for  the  Court  places.  I  was  voted 
to  be  the  Court  fool  and  wore  a  fool's  cap.  As  I  con- 
sidered it  an  insult,  I  determined  to  fool  to  my  heart's 
content.  After  the  king  and  queen  had  been  escorted 
in  state  to  their  throne  the  revels  commenced.  Minuets, 
pavanes,  mazurkas,  were  danced  in  rapid  succession. 
Supper  was  announced  at  11  o'clock.  I  slipped  out 
unobserved,  got  hold  of  one  of  the  footmen  (whose  palm 
I  greased),  and  got  him  to  get  me  a  large  foot-tub  full 
of  warm  water;  this  I  had  placed  facing  the  throne. 
I  enlisted  the  aid  of  two  of  my  cronies,  placed  a  chair  on 
either  side  of  the  tub,  covering  the  whole  with  a  quilt 
which  I  got  my  footman  to  procure  for  me.  Seating  my 
friends,  one  on  one  side  and  one  on  the  other,  I  told 
them  that  sudden  death  would  overtake  them  if  they 

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1818]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

dared  to  move.  I  returned  to  the  supper-room  looking 
perfectly  innocent.  We  then  escorted  the  king  and  queen 
back  to  their  respective  thrones.  I  craved  their  majesty's 
permission  to  try  a  rebel  for  Use  majeste.  They  at 
once  granted  my  fool's  request.  I  then  told  the  trumpeter 
to  sound  three  times,  and  the  herald  to  call  upon  Monsieur 
d'Osmond*  to  appear  before  their  majesties  to  be  tried 
and  sentenced.  Osmond  is  full  of  his  own  importance. 
He  approached,  and  was  told  by  me  to  seat  himself 
between  the  two  guards.  I  had  told  them  the  moment 
he  did  so  to  at  once  rise;  this  they  did,  and  plump  went 
Osmond  into  the  bath.  It  really  succeeded  better 
than  I  had  anticipated.  He  did  not  at  first  realize  he 
was  sitting  in  the  water,  but  when  he  did  he  tried  to 
get  out  of  the  tub,  making  an  awful  splashing;  I  never 
heard  so  much  laughter.  Poor  Osmond  stood  dripping, 
a  sorry  figure  and  raging;  the  more  he  raged,  the  more 
we  all  laughed.  When  early  in  the  evening  I  was  voted 
to  be  the  fool,  he  had  said  in  his  horrid  sarcastic  way, 
"That  rdle  exactly  fits  you."  I  could  not  refrain  from 
going  up  to  him  and  saying,  "You  now  have  a  role  that 
fits  you  like  a  bathing-dress."  You  see,  on  the  Jour 
des  Rois  nobody  must  lose  their  temper,  so  he  had  to 
grin  and  bear  it.  He  went  in  the  kitchen  to  be  dried 
but  did  not  appear  again.  My  cousin,  Count  Gallatin, 
tried  to  look  serious  and,  taking  me  by  the  ear,  repri- 
manded me,  saying,  "That  was  quite  sufficient  to  cause 
war  between  France  and  America."  I  answered,  "For 
the  evening  I  am  a  fool,  and  it  was  a  fool's  prank." 
Anyhow,  no  more  was  said  about  it,  and  I  think  all 
enjoyed  the  joke. 

JANUARY  9 

We  had  a  very  large  supper-party  last  night,  but  extremely 

dull.    It  may  have  been  very  intellectual,  it  undoubtedly 

*  Monsieur  d'Osmond,  son  of  the  Marquis  d'Osmond  and  brother 
of  the  Comtesse  de  Boigne. 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1818 

was,  but  my  intellect  was  not  sufficiently  cultivated  to 
appreciate  it;  but  I  saw  how  happy  father  was  and  that 
quite  resigned  me  to  my  fate.  Poor  mamma  did  not 
understand  a  word  of  the  general  conversation,  but  kept 
nodding  her  head  and  smiling  in  the  most  intelligent 
manner  until  I  feared  the  feathers  would  fall  out  of  her 
turban.  Monsieur  de  Lafayette  gave  a  long  harangue 
on  the  subject  of  liberty.  I  think  father  was  a  little 
uneasy,  as  it  does  not  do  for  people  to  express  their 
opinion  too  openly  at  an  embassy.  Pozzo  only  laughed 
at  the  whole  thing.  Our  silver,  which  was  the  service 
of  poor  General  Moreau,  made  a  very  fine  show.  Mamma 
has  great  taste — the  flowers  and  fruit  on  the  table  were 
beautifully  arranged.  Madame  Re"camier  recited  some 
poems  in  the  most  affected  and  stilted  style.  I  really 
think  she  humbugs  herself;  she  loves  to  hear  the  sound 
of  her  own  voice.  Count  D'Orsay  was  the  only  amusing 
person.  He  made  a  violent  speech  on  the  political 
questions  of  the  day,  without  head  or  tail,  beginning  or 
end;  I  rather  loved  him  for  it.  After  all  the  guests  had 
retired  I  was  off  to  a  bal  masque  at  the  opera — had  lots 
of  adventures,  made  at  least  a  dozen  rendezvous,  and 
by  now  have  forgotten  both  places  and  names.  Telle  est 
la  me. 

FEBRUARY  3 

A  great  sensation  has  been  produced  by  the  appearance 
of  a  pamphlet  printed  in  London  and  called  "The 
Manuscript  of  St.  Helena."  It  is  supposed  to  have  been 
written  by  the  Emperor  himself.  It  is  read  in  all  the 
great  salons,  and  many  say  they  recognize  the  style  of 
the  Emperor.  Monsieur  Naville  (father's  cousin)  brought 
it  to  him  yesterday  from  the  author,  who  is  Monsieur 
Lullin  de  Chateauvieux,  also  a  cousin  and  a  Genevan. 
We  are  all  sworn  to  secrecy.  This  makes  it  most  amusing 
for  me,  as  I  hear  of  nothing  else  in  all  the  salons  I  frequent 
and  often  have  a  good  laugh  to  myself.  A  most  extraor- 

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1818]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

dinary  person  who  I  must  here  give  a  place  to  is  the 
Queen  of  Sweden,  wife  of  Bernadotte.  She  was  a  Mile 
Eugenie  Desiree  Clary.*  Her  sister  Julie  married  Joseph 
Bonaparte.  They  were  the  daughters  of  a  tallow-chandler 
in  Marseilles.  She  has  left  Sweden  as  she  says  the  climate 
did  not  agree  with  her.  Her  position  here  is  a  curious 
one.  A  private  note  was  sent  to  all  the  ambassadors 
and  ministers  of  foreign  Powers  not  to  receive  her  as 
Queen  of  Sweden  but  simply  as  Madame  Bernadotte. 
She  is  not  received  officially  at  Court,  but  still  the  King 
receives  her  as  Madame  Bernadotte  in  private.  I  have 
met  her  in  several  different  salons — a  most  common- 
looking  person,  with  a  loud  voice  and  coarse  manners, 
and  dressed  in  clothes  you  expect  to  see  a  cook  wear. 
She  has  a  strong  Marseilles  accent.  When  I  was  pre- 
sented to  her  she  said  in  horrible  French:  "Comment, 
wus  etes  Americain  et  vous  n'etes  pas  noir.  Ma  soeur 
Julie  a  ete  en  Amerique."  She  would  be  better  if  she 
were  black — she  has  some  sort  of  eruption  on  her  face 
which  is  not  nice  to  look  at.  Another  extraordinary 
female  is  the  Duchesse  de  Duras;  she  is  quite  as  ugly 
as  Madame  Bernadotte.  Since  the  death  of  Madame 
de  Stael  she  seems  to  think  the  latter's  mantle  has 
fallen  on  her  shoulders.  She  apes  her  as  much  as  she 
dare  do.  Instead  of  a  small  laurel-branch  which  Madame 
de  Stael  always  carried  in  her  hand  and  gesticulated  with 
(I  have  mentioned  this  before),  she  has  long  bits  of  paper 
which  she  twirls  about  and  tears  to  pieces;  it's  most 
amusing  to  watch  her.  Her  daughter,  the  Princesse 
de  Talmont,  a  widow,  has  lately  married  a  Monsieur 
de  Rochejacquelin,  much  against  her  mother's  wishes. 
I  fear  I  am  drifting  into  a  serious  love  affair.  At  several 
houses  I  have  met  a  handsome  Spanish  woman,  wife  of 

*  Euge'nie-De'sire'e  Clary,  wife  of  Jean  Bernadotte,  who  was  elected 
Prince  Royal  of  Sweden  in  1810,  succeeded  the  King  Charles  XII  in 
1818;  reigned  as  Charles  XIV.  He  was  never  recognized  by  the  King 
of  France. 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1818 

a  Secretary  of  Embassy;  she  is  several  years  older  than 
I  am  and  does  not  live  happily  with  her  husband.  She 
has  asked  me  to  meet  her  at  out-of-the-way  places;  I 
have  been  weak  enough  to  do  so,  but  I  must  break  it  off. 
It  would  be  a  serious  matter  for  me  and  for  father's 
position  if  there  were  any  scandal,  particularly  in  the 
diplomatic  circle. 

Serious  talk  of  the  resignation  of  Monsieur  de  Richelieu; 
father  seems  worried.  Monsieur  Decazes  is  spoken  of. 
The  King  has  shown  him  great  favour  lately.  This 
means  that  father  will  have  to  begin  all  over  again. 
Nothing  definite  has  been  settled  with  Monsieur  de 
Richelieu.  Our  Government  is  pressing  and  seems  to 
think  it  is  father's  fault. 

We  are  in  a  very  unsettled  state  on  account  of  the 
approaching  change  in  the  Government.  So  many 
different  rumours.  General  Dessolles  spoken  of  as  the 
new  leader.  Father  hardly  thinks  this  possible,  but 
believes  Monsieur  Decazes  will  certainly  (if  not  actually 
in  name)  be  the  leader.  Prince  Talleyrand  is  now  in 
Paris;  he  is  such  an  intriguer,  so  absolutely  false,  that 
nobody  trusts  him.  I  heard  a  good  story  about  him 
yesterday  and  his  astuteness.  When  he  was  in  power 
a  gentleman,  accompanied  by  a  small  suite,  presented 
himself  at  his  house  as  the  Margrave  of  C.,  a  German 
princeling.  His  credentials  were  all  in  order,  but  Talley- 
rand suspected  there  was  something  wrong  from  the 
man's  demeanour.  Nevertheless,  he  invited  him  to 
dinner — putting  him,  as  his  rank  demanded,  on  his  right 
hand  at  table.  When  dinner  was  at  an  end  and  olives 
were  passed  with  the  wine,  the  Margrave  took  a  fork 
to  eat  his  with.  At  once  Talleyrand  clapped  his  hands, 
a  prearranged  signal,  saying  in  a  loud  voice,  "Arrest 
this  impostor.  No  gentleman  eats  olives  with  a  fork." 
Several  officers  disguised  as  footmen  rushed  forward  and 
seized  him.  His  suite  immediately  rose  and  tried  to 
escape  from  the  room,  but  they  were  also  arrested. 

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1818]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

Talleyrand  was  quite  right;  he  afterwards  learned  that 
the  Margrave  of  C.  had  been  waylaid  on  his  way  to 
Paris,  stripped  of  his  clothes,  baggage  and  papers,  and 
left  with  his  suite  penniless.  The  fine  gentleman  and 
his  band  took  the  Margrave's  coach  and  made  use  of  the 
relays,  so  arriving  in  Paris.  The  poor  Margrave  wandered 
about  for  some  time,  as  nobody  would  believe  his  story 
and  thought  he  was  an  impostor.  Another  story  is  not 
out  of  place  here.  One  day  Talleyrand,  who  is  very  mal- 
formed, pointing  to  a  particularly  tall  and  handsome 
footman,  said  to  the  lady  next  to  him,  "That  is  the  way 
we  make  them,  and  this  is  the  way  they  make  us." 
Mamma  is  in  despair,  as  father  hates  entertaining. 
He  only  cares  to  see  his  old  friends — Lafayette,  La  Place, 
the  Humboldts,  Pozzo  di  Borgo,  &c.  They  continually 
dine  and  sup  with  us.  I  have  my  own  amusements,  so 
it  does  not  affect  me.  I  am  beginning  to  find  out  that 
all  the  Court  and  official  functions  are  a  great  bore;  they 
are  all  the  same  thing  over  and  over  again.  The  excep- 
tions are  the  entertainments  at  the  Elysee  and  the  Palais 
Royale.  The  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berri  are  so  gay  and 
cheerful  that  they  instil  life  into  all.  At  the  Palais 
Royale  it  is  so  informal;  although  very  fine  entertain- 
ments, one  is  not  hedged  in  by  that  eternal  etiquette  as 
at  the  Tuilleries.  The  Duke  and  Duchess  d'Angouleme 
are  so  formal  and  sad — Monsieur  so  repellent  in  his  cold, 
stiff  way,  though  they  say  he  can  be  charming  if  he 
chooses.  The  poor  old  King  is  far  more  gracious;  he 
really  seems  to  enjoy  father's  society,  and  certainly 
shows  him  great  favour.  He  laughingly  said  to  him  the 
other  day,  "I  wish  you  would  give  us  French  lessons 
and  we  will  give  you  English  ones."  Poor  father's 
French  accent  is  so  strong  in  English.  I  sincerely  believe 
it  is  one  of  the  reasons  he  is  so  disliked  in  America,  and 
it  is  a  great  drawback  in  political  life.  He  is  certainly 
in  his  right  place  here,  but  I  think  he  longs  for  a  more 
active  life. 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1818 

JULY 

He  has  accepted  a  special  mission  to  England;  it  is  a 
very  important  one.  The  terms  settled  at  the  Treaty 
of  Ghent  expire  in  1819,  so  all  has  to  be  reconsidered 
and  settled  afresh.  He  is  the  only  person  capable  of 
carrying  through  these  negotiations  on  account  of  his 
intimate  knowledge  of  all  details.  Mr.  Rush  is  our 
Minister  in  England.  Father  discovered  him  and  had 
him  put  in  his  present  position.  He  has  most  kindly 
extended  his  hospitality  to  us.  Father  has  availed 
himself  of  his  kind  offer  to  stop  at  his  house  when  in 
London.  We  expect  to  leave  here  in  July.  I  fear 
London  will  be  very  dull  after  Paris,  but  I  will  have 
plenty  of  work  to  do.  Father  insists  upon  having  a  copy 
of  every  document  and  prefers  me  to  make  them.  Albert 
dislikes  Paris  so  much  he  is  to  go  back  to  America  this 
summer.  He  only  cares  about  birds,  animals,  and  so 
forth,  and  likes  a  wild  solitary  life.  Frances  promises 
to  be  pretty,  and  I  hope  she  will  grow  up  so  and  make 
a  good  marriage  either  here  or  in  England.  Her  religion 
will  be  a  great  obstacle  to  her  here,  and  if  she  changed  it 
mamma  would  promptly  give  up  the  ghost.  I  am  quite 
certain  she  will  never  be  content  to  live  in  America,  and 
I  am  sure  I  won't. 

JULY  24 

To-day  we  received  the  faire-part  of  the  Due  de  Guiche, 
the  eldest  son  of  the  Due  de  Gramont,  with  Mile  D'Orsay, 
the  daughter  of  the  Count  and  Countess  D'Orsay.  Made- 
moiselle is  quite  lovely  and  de  Guiche  is  very  handsome; 
they  will  make  a  brave  couple.  I  have  seen  a  great  deal 
of  de  Guiche  but  not  dans  le  grand  monde.  I  suppose 
now  he  will  settle  down  and  we  will  see  him  no  more. 
The  contract  of  the  marriage  was  on  the  10th.  Very 
beautifully  done.  Masses  of  flowers  everywhere — from 
the  chandelier  great  wreaths  of  roses;  the  wall  lights 
were  connected  by  huge  garlands  of  pink  roses.  Count 

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1818]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

D'Orsay  is  famous  for  his  taste.  The  wedding  was  in  the 
Sainte-Chapelle  by  special  permission  of  the  King.  The 
Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berri  were  present  and  signed  the 
register.  The  corbeille  de  marriage  was  superb;  there 
were  over  five  hundred  presents.  I  think  there  is  what 
may  be  called  hot  blood  in  the  de  Gramont  family. 
There  was  a  Comte  de  Guiche  in  the  seventeenth  century 
who  was  a  lover  of  Queen  Henrietta  Maria,  wife  of 
Charles  I.  He  was  exiled,  and  on  his  return  compro- 
mised himself  with  Mile  de  la  Valliere,  the  King's  mistress; 
was  exiled  a  second  time.  Not  bad.  The  sister  of  the 
present  Due  de  Grammont  married  Lord  Tankerville.  She 
was  quite  lovely. 


AUGUST:  LONDON 

After  all,  we  did  not  leave  Paris  until  August  10  and 
arrived  in  London  on  the  16th.  Mr.  Rush  is  most  kind; 
he  has  placed  the  whole  second  floor  of  his  house  at  our 
disposal.  Of  course  London  is  quite  empty  and  dull. 
I  have  plenty  of  work  to  do.  Father  has  had  several 
interviews  with  Lord  Castlereagh,  who  is  most  concilia- 
tory, but  Mr.  Frederic  Robinson  (now  President  of  the 
Board  of  Trade)  and  Mr.  Goulburn  are  the  principal 
Commissioners.  The  former,  as  always,  is  delightful, 
and  father  likes  dealing  with  him.  The  questions  to  be 
settled  are  the  Fisheries,  the  Boundary  Question,  the 
West  India  Trade,  and  the  Captured  Slaves.  Mr.  Robin- 
son begs  father  to  put  in  writing  exactly  what  his  demands 
are  and  his  reasons  for  making  them;  he  thinks  this  will 
expedite  matters.  There  are  daily  conferences,  and 
from  what  I  can  understand  an  agreement  satisfactory 
to  all  parties  will  soon  be  come  to.  Lord  Castlereagh 
is  very  advanced  in  his  ideas  and  has  no  insular  prejudices. 
Mr.  Robinson  the  same.  Mr.  Goulburn  is  not  quite 
as  enlightened  as  they  are,  but  all  is  very  amicable  and 
pleasant. 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1818 

SEPTEMBER  10 

I  had  found  it  so  dull,  and  not  feeling  very  well,  father 
insisted  upon  sending  me  to  Brighton  for  two  weeks. 
I  arrived  yesterday,  and  at  once  went  to  the  Pavilion 
and  paid  my  respects  to  the  Prince  Regent.  These 
were  father's  orders.  He  is  here  with  some  of  his  dandies 
and  his  last  reigning  favourite.  I  am  very  comfortably 
lodged  not  far  from  the  sea,  in  James  Street.  The  Pavilion 
is  a  most  extraordinary  place — Moorish,  I  think,  in 
architecture;  all  sorts  of  domes  and  minarets.  There 
is  a  huge  riding-school  where  the  Regent  takes  exercise 
in  bad  weather.  They  say  the  cost  of  the  building  was 
something  enormous.  I  only  went  into  the  first  hall 
and  wrote  my  name.  The  decorations  are  Oriental  and 
dazzling,  but,  although  I  am  informed  to  the  contrary, 
I  should  not  think  the  remainder  of  the  decorations  are 
in  good  taste. 

SEPTEMBER  12 

Such  perfect  weather,  I  feel  much  better  already;  the 
heat  in  London  was  very  great.  I  had  so  much  writing 
to  do  that  now  I  want  simply  to  rest.  I  was  out  all  the 
morning  lying  on  the  shingle  basking  in  the  sun.  Returned 
at  2  o'clock  to  my  dinner.  The  air  here  gives  me  a 
fine  appetite,  otherwise  I  should  not  be  able  to  eat  the 
food  they  give  me;  it's  like  all  English  food,  heavy  and 
greasy.  When  will  they  learn  what  cooking  is?  In 
any  small  inn  in  France  they  give  you  an  appetizing  meal, 
well  seasoned  and  well  served.  For  instance,  for  dinner 
to-day  I  had  salt  boiled  beef  with  carrots  and  dumplings; 
the  beef  was  hard,  the  carrots  were  harder,  and  the 
dumplings  I  could  have  thrown  against  the  door  without 
breaking  them;  but  still  I  was  hungry  and  managed  to 
make  a  good  dinner.  This  afternoon,  when  I  went  for 
a  walk  I  met  the  Prince  Regent  driving  in  a  most 
gorgeous  chariot;  it  seemed  to  me  every  colour  of  the 
rainbow.  He  was  accompanied  by  a  lady,  but  I  do  not 

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1818]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

know  who  she  was — in  fact,  I  don't  know  anybody  in 
England.  Several  gentlemen  accompanied  him  on  horse- 
back. The  Prince  looked  very  red  as  if  he  had  been 
drinking;  they  were  all  very  noisy.  Mr.  Brummell  was 
a  great  friend  of  the  Prince's;  he  was  called  the  "mirror 
of  fashion,"  and  although  of  very  humble  birth,  he 
managed  to  work  his  way  to  the  higher  society,  and  all 
through  his  wit  and  his  manner  of  dressing.  He  was  for 
a  long  time  the  arbiter  of  fashion.  They  tell  me  he 
often  used  to  destroy  a  dozen  white  neckcloths  before  he 
tied  them  to  suit  him.  The  Regent  used  to  imitate  him 
though  he  was  most  insolent;  he  was  known  as  "Beau 
Brummell." 

SEPTEMBER  15 

Poor  Lucien  has  afforded  me  great  amusement  ever 
since  he  left  Paris.  I  asked  him  if  he  was  a  good  sailor. 
"Mais  oui,  Excellence."  Now  he  had  never  even  seen 
the  sea,  but  I  said  nothing  and  awaited  events.  Full  of 
pluck,  he  marched  on  board  the  packet  at  Boulogne.  We 
were  barely  under  way  when  I  lost  sight  of  him.  On 
arrival  at  Dover  no  Lucien  could  be  found.  At  last, 
after  a  search  in  the  forecastle  in  one  of  the  sailor's  bunks, 
there  was  a  helpless  and  limp  mass.  He  was  carried  on 
deck,  and  after  having  brandy  poured  down  his  throat 
began  to  revive.  His  first  words  were:  " Est-que  je 
suis  mort  ?  "  But  with  the  wonderful  elasticity  of  the 
French  nature,  before  we  got  to  Sevenoaks  he  was  cheer- 
fully chatting  with  father's  man  in  the  rumble.  London 
astonished  him;  he  could  not  understand  the  dirty 
streets  or  the  grimy  houses.  He  was  comically  miserable 
— so  homesick  that  at  one  time  father  contemplated 
sending  him  home,  but  he  would  not  consent  to  this, 
saying,  "What  would  monsieur  do  without  him?"  He 
certainly  is  devoted  to  me.  Here  at  Brighton  he  is  much 
happier.  He  is  a  very  good-looking  lad.  Yesterday  I 
actually  saw  him  walking  arm-in-arm  with  a  very  pretty 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1818 

girl.  As  he  cannot  speak  two  words  of  English,  I  cannot 
understand  how  he  managed  it.  Oh,  but  the  language 
of  love  is  not  difficult,  and  I  fear  he  has  taken  a  leaf  out 
of  his  master's  book. 

SEPTEMBER  17 

I  had  a  little  adventure  yesterday  which  I  hope  will  turn 
out  well.  Nobody  knows  me  here,  so  I  really  don't 
care  what  I  do.  I  noticed  the  day  after  I  arrived  a  very 
pretty  woman.  There  is  a  certain  look  that  one  gives  to  a 
pretty  woman  and  which  I  have  always  found  a  woman 
understands.  The  second  time  I  found  her  walking 
alone  she  dropped  her  eyelids,  but  not  till  after  she  had 
had  a  good  look  at  me.  After  passing  her  I  turned  and 
followed  her,  dropping  my  pocket-handkerchief  (I  always 
carry  a  lady's  handkerchief  with  me  as  I  have  found  it 
such  a  help  in  making  acquaintances).  I  ran  after  her 
saying,  "Madame,  I  think  this  must  be  yours?"  She 
looked  at  it  and  said,  "Oh,  how  stupid  of  me,"  and  with  a 
pretty  curtsy  she  quietly  put  it  in  her  reticule;  then  she 
said,  "I  see  you  are  a  stranger  here."  Of  course  I  poured 
out  all  my  woes,  telling  her  I  did  not  know  a  soul  in  the 
place.  She  took  compassion  on  me  and  has  promised 
to  meet  me  to  take  a  little  walk  to-morrow  evening. 

SEPTEMBER  19 

My  inamorata  is  charming,  she  is  married  to  an  old  man 
who  is  in  the  city  in  business — she  is  down  here  with  a 
younger  sister,  to  recoup  the  latter's  health.  She  has 
promised  to  meet  me  to-morrow  and  to  take  me  home  to 
supper — her  sister  goes  to  bed  at  7  o'clock. 

SEPTEMBER  20 

The  worst  possible  luck — this  morning  I  received  a  com- 
mand from  the  Prince  Regent  to  attend  a  concert  at  the 
Pavilion  to-night — what  am  I  to  do?  I  do  not  know 
my  fair  lady's  name  or  where  she  is  lodged.  She  will  never 

129 


1818]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

forgive  me — I  cannot  tell  her  the  real  reason  of  my  not 
being  able  to  keep  the  rendezvous.  She  thinks  I  am 
simply  a  young  American  travelling  for  my  health. 

SEPTEMBER  21 

A  most  gorgeous  entertainment  at  the  Pavilion;  as  I 
entered  rows  of  lacqueys  in  Royal  liveries  and  floured 
heads  lined  the  hall.  A  most  magnificent  and  impor- 
tant person  asked  my  name  with  a  profound  bow — 
he  motioned  to  two  lacqueys  who  threw  open  the  doors  and 
I  was  ushered  into  a  gorgeous  saloon.  A  gentleman  ad- 
vanced and  said  his  Royal  Highness  would  receive 
me  in  a  few  minutes,  which  he  did.  I  was  escorted  to  a 
smaller  saloon,  at  the  far  end  of  which  the  Prince  was 
half  reclining  on  a  divan.  He  was  most  gracious  and 
inquired  kindly  about  father — he  also  asked  me 
some  questions  about  the  Royal  Family  in  Paris,  par- 
ticularly about  the  Due  de  Berri.  While  he  was  talking 
to  me  the  doors  were  thrown  open  and  several  ladies 
and  gentlemen  came  in;  the  Regent  rose  and  with  the  aid 
of  two  sticks  and  followed  by  the  Court,  in  which  I  joined, 
proceeded  to  the  Concert  Saloon.  He  was  seated  in  the 
centre  in  a  large  gilt  arm-chair  with  a  lady  either  side  of 
him — I  was  in  the  second  row.  I  do  not  know  who  the 
two  gentlemen  were  who  were  on  either  side  of  me, 
but  one  knew  my  name  and  both  of  them  seeing  I  was 
young  and  feeling  a  little  bashful  and  a  little  embarrassed 
made  themselves  most  agreeable  to  me  and  soon  put  me 
at  my  ease.  What  astonished  me  very  much  was  when 
any  one  of  the  performers,  either  male  or  female,  did  not 
please  the  Prince  he  expressed  his  displeasure  in  a  loud 
voice,  much  to  their  mortification — and  he  is  called  "  The 
First  Gentleman  in  Europe."  When  the  concert  was 
over,  bowing  to  us  all  he  retired,  with  several  ladies  and 
gentlemen.  We  were  then  conducted  to  the  dining-hall, 
which  is  very  fine.  A  very  lavish  buffet  supper  was 
served,  a  fine  display  of  gold  plate— some  of  the  gentle- 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1818 

men  were  half  drunk  while  they  were  at  the  concert 
and  when  I  left  after  midnight  several  of  them  were 
helplessly  so,  a  disgusting  sight  and  one  that  is  never  seen 
in  France,  even  in  Bohemian  society.  Some  of  the 
decorations  of  the  Pavilion  are  very  fine;  the  chandeliers 
are  huge  dragons  painted  in  colours  and  gilded.  What 
I  liked  the  best  were  some  beautiful  wall-hangings  of 
Chinese  paper — I  have  never  seen  any  before  like  them — 
but  the  whole  effect  of  the  furniture  is  vulgar,  at  least  to 
my  eyes,  which  are  so  accustomed  to  the  refined  taste 
of  the  French.  Oddly  enough  I  did  not  see  a  picture 
of  any  kind  or  description. 

SEPTEMBER  22 

I  have  been  walking  about  all  day  and  cannot  find  a 
trace  of  my  belle  dame.  I  sincerely  regret  it  as  I  am 
leaving  now  in  a  few  days  and  fear  I  will  never  see  her 
again.  I  went  to  write  my  name  at  the  Pavilion.  Just  as  I 
was  leaving  the  Prince's  curricle  drove  up;  of  course  I  had 
to  wait  at  the  door  for  him  to  pass — he  passed  me  without 
a  sign  of  recognition — he  was  very  red  in  the  face,  and, 
may  I  only  breathe  it — I  fear  he  was  drunk.  They  told 
me  he  had  just  come  from  a  cock-fight. 

SEPTEMBER  23 

Not  a  sign  of  my  fair  lady — I  so  deeply  regret  it,  and  of 
course  as  I  cannot  find  her,  I  want  to  see  her  all  the  more. 
I  am  leaving  the  day  after  to-morrow.  Lucien  did  not 
come  home  last  night,  so  my  landlady  informed  me;  I 
must  talk  to  him. 

SEPTEMBER  24 

Still  no  sign.  It  is  odd  as  Brighton  is  not  a  large  place — it 
does  seem  odd.  I  fancied  I  knew  the  direction  she  lived 
in  and  have  been  haunting  that  quarter  all  the  morning. 
We  are  off  to-morrow,  in  one  of  the  fast  coaches — I  will 
enjoy  the  drive.  I  am  certainly  feeling  much  better. 

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SEPTEMBER  26:  LONDON 

We  had  a  splendid  journey  up,  racing  another  coach  the 
whole  way.  I  am  glad  to  say  we  arrived  first,  the  other 
coach  had  an  accident.  It's  wonderful  the  rapidity  with 
which  they  change  the  horses.  We  came  by  Cuckfield, 
a  lovely  English  village  and  the  Weald  of  Sussex — lovely 
views.  I  thoroughly  enjoyed  it.  Lucien  followed  with 
my  baggage — these  fast  coaches  do  not  take  any.  I 
found  father  as  usual,  calm  and  unruffled — he  was  very 
pleased  to  see  me  looking  so  well.  Mr.  Rush  had  a  dinner- 
party, but  excused  me  from  appearing  as  I  was  fatigued. 

SEPTEMBER  28 

To-day  I  was  taken  to  White's  Club  and  Brook's— I 
had  never  been  into  a  club  before;  they  say  very  high 
gambling  takes  place  at  night — as  I  have  never  touched 
a  card  in  my  life  it  does  not  interest  me.  Father  has  a 
horror  of  gambling  and  gamblers.  I  have  been  putting 
some  papers  in  order  this  evening.  London  is  abso- 
lutely empty.  Everybody  is  in  the  country  shooting. 

SEPTEMBER  29 

I  went  to-day  to  Chelsea  Marshes  with  Mr.  Compton; 
we  both  took  guns  but  there  was  nothing  to  shoot— he 
told  me  there  was  very  good  snipe-shooting  later  on. 
To-morrow  I  am  going  to  the  Tower  of  London.  We  will 
be  going  back  to  Paris  very  shortly — another  dinner 
to-night — all  men  much  older  than  myself.  When  the 
wine  was  put  on  the  table  I  begged  to  be  excused  and 
went  to  bed. 

OCTOBER  1 

Queen  Charlotte  it  is  rumoured  is  very  ill — she  is  suffering 
from  dropsy;  it  seems  she  has  a  violent  temper  and  when 
she  has  an  outburst  it  brings  on  spasms  which  they  fear 
may  cause  her  death  at  any  moment.  The  Duchess  of 
Cambridge  is  devoted  to  her  and  hardly  ever  leaves  her. 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1818 

It  is  very  sad  with  her  poor  mad  husband.  She  goes  to  see 
him  every  day  but  he  never  recognizes  her — he  always 
thinks  he  is  holding  a  Court  and  talks  incessantly  to 
imaginary  people  whom  he  thinks  surround  him;  what 
a  living  death!  One  of  the  first  signs  of  his  coming 
madness  was  one  day  a  large  pasty  of  blackbirds  was 
on  the  Royal  table,  covered  with  a  thick  crust.  When 
it  was  cut  he  remarked:  "How  very  extraordinary; 
how  on  earth  did  those  blackbirds  get  in  that  dish?" 
He  would  not  allow  it  to  be  served  and  had  some  clever 
philosopher  sent  for  to  go  into  the  matter. 

OCTOBER  2 

We  dined  with  Lord  Castlereagh  last  night,  only  men 
again;  everything  fine — we  were  over  three  hours  at 
table,  the  conversation  was  far  above  me,  although  I  take 
a  great  interest  in  politics.  Father  thinks  this  all  does 
me  good  and  no  doubt  he  is  right.  We  leave  on  the  10th. 
I  frankly  don't  like  England  or  English  customs  and 
manners. 

After  many  meetings  and  it  seems  to  me  endless  dis- 
cussion the  result  is  as  follows: — The  articles  on  impress-  \ 
ment  and  maritime  rights  are  thrown  out,  a  ten  years' 
agreement  to  cover  the  Fisheries  question,  the  boundary 
between  the  Lake  and  the  Rocky  Mountains,  also  the 
joint  use  of  the  Columbia  River;  indemnity  for  the  slave 
owners  and  the  renewal  of  the  commercial  treaty  of  1815. 
England  has  been  most  generous  in  every  way  and 
father  has  done  his  best  to  conciliate  all — Lord  Castle- 
reagh has  worked  in  perfect  accord  with  him.  The 
navigation  of  the  Mississippi  is  settled  for  ever.  With 
regard  to  the  West  India  trade,  Mr.  Robinson  made 
concessions  and  father  met  him  half-way.  On  the  minor 
questions  in  dispute  little  was  settled — Lord  Castlereagh 
wisely  said,  "Time  will  do  much  more  than  we  can"; 
in  this  father  absolutely  agrees.  Since  the  Treaty  of  Ghent 
he  thinks  the  American  people  are  a  little  swelled  with 

133 


1818]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

pride,  which  he  thinks  in  time  will  wear  away.  We  return 
to  Paris  very  shortly.  I  shall  not  be  sorry,  as  it  has  been 
desperately  dull  and  very  hard  work. 

OCTOBER  10:  DOVER 

We  left  London,  I  without  regret,  this  morning;  we 
hope  to  cross  to-morrow  but  it  is  blowing  great  guns  and 
the  packet  did  not  leave  to-day;  the  French  one  did  as 
there  is  a  good  harbour  here.  At  Boulogne  it  is  some- 
times impossible  to  land.  I  feel  sorry  for  poor  Lucien, 
he  is  pea-green  in  anticipation — I  cannot  boast  much 
myself,  but  I  am  getting  used  to  it. 

OCTOBER  11 

Still  here  on  account  of  stress  of  weather.  It  does  not 
affect  us  as  we  are  not  in  a  hurry,  as  there  is  nothing  for 
us  to  do  in  Paris  at  present.  I  visited  the  Dover  Castle — 
it  is  on  a  very  high  down  above  the  town.  It  was  very 
interesting — I  could  hardly  keep  my  feet  the  wind  was 
so  violent. 

OCTOBER  12 

We  embarked  this  morning,  the  wind  has  moderated 
considerably  and  the  Channel  looks  quite  calm,  the  sun 
is  shining  and  we  can  see  Cape  Gris  Nez  distinctly — 
Lucien  is  quite  cheerful. 

OCTOBER  14 

We  sleep  at  Amiens  to-night. 

OCTOBER  18,  1818:  PARIS 

We  returned  here  on  the  16th.     Mother  is  still  in  the 

country  but  returns  shortly. 

OCTOBER  19 

Mamma  and  Frances  returned  to-day  both  looking  so 
well.  I  have  for  the  last  few  days  been  visiting  all  my 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1818 

old  haunts  to  see  if  they  were  still  there.  We  will  soon 
have  to  return  to  fashionable  life.  The  Court  has 
returned,  and  Paris  looks  very  gay. 

OCTOBER  22 

I  even  love  the  smell  of  Paris.  I  love  the  smell  of  the 
fruit  and  vegetables  which  the  market-women  hawk  about 
the  streets  in  their  push-carts.  I  love  the  cry  "Oh,  les 
belles  fraises.  Oh !  les  raisins,  dix  sous  la  lime"  and 
later,  "  Oh !  la  valence,  la  belle  valence."  Dear  Albertine 
de  Broglie  came  to  see  mamma  to-day;  they  have 
bought  a  beautiful  hotel,  quite  close  to  us.  They  have 
a  fine  boy;  she  wants  us  to  dine  quite  en  famille  on 
Sunday — that  is  mamma,  father,  Frances  and  myself. 
Mamma  could  not  refuse  her,  but  it  is  the  first  time  she 
has  dined  out  on  Sunday  since  we  came  to  Paris. 

OCTOBER  25 

We  had  such  a  pleasant  dinner  at  the  de  Broglie's.  Their 
hotel  is  really  beautiful.  He  had  superb  pictures  and 
furniture,  silver,  &c.;  her  mother  left  her  all  she  possibly 
could,  so  it  all  makes  a  fine  show.  The  precious  baby 
was  brought  down  before  dinner.  Of  course  mamma 
and  Frances  made  a  great  fuss  over  it.  I  am  not  an 
expert  in  babies,  they  always  look  so  crumpled  and  red 
to  me  and  I  never  know  how  to  pick  them  up.  We  saw  a 
fine  portrait  of  de  Broglie's  father  who  was  guillotined 
in  the  Revolution.  She  showed  it  to  us.  It  is  covered 
with  a  black  curtain  which  she  drew  aside  when  he  was 
out  of  the  room,  as  he  cannot  bear  to  look  at  it.  This  is 
the  reason  I  suppose  he  is  so  serious. 

OCTOBER  29 

I  am  really  beginning  to  vegetate.  I  will  get  prematurely 
old,  if  I  go  on  at  this  rate.  I  am  going  to-night  with 
Puysegur  to  a  ball  given  by  a  lady  of  the  "other  world." 
The  Due  de  Berri  protects  her  and  will  be  there.  I  have 

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just  come  in  from  a  turn  in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne  where 
I  met  many  friends  whom  I  had  not  seen  since  I  had  re- 
turned from  England.  The  men  all  wanted  to  know 
about  the  English  fashions  as  everything  is  a  VAnglaise 
now  in  France.  Certainly  Englishmen  are  better  dressed 
than  Frenchmen.  I  met  Count  D'Orsay;  he  is  certainly  a 
fine  figure  of  a  man  and  carries  himself  so  well.  His  hand- 
some face  is  rather  spoilt  by  his  teeth,  which  although 
very  white  are  very  much  separated,  which  gives  bis 
mouth  an  animal  look  when  he  smiles. 

NOVEMBER 

Very  cold  and  in  the  mornings  we  have  a  thick  white  fog. 
I  am  fully  lance  dans  h  monde  again,  dancing  every 
night.  The  ball  at  the  Due  de  Bern's  friend  was  very 
enjoyable,  but  oddly  enough  up  to  a  certain  point  the 
behaviour  was  even  more  dignified  than  dans  le  vrai 
monde.  It  was  not  until  after  supper  and  the  Due 
had  retired  that  things  became  rather  mixed.  I  know 
about  3  A.M.  I  was  sitting  on  the  lap  of  a  lady,  who  dis- 
played ample  charms,  and  she  was  calling  me  her  "  Bebe, 
petit  choux,"  &c.  I  did  not  stop  there  long — I  prefer 
lamb  to  mutton. 

NOVEMBER  1818 

Christmas  will  soon  be  here.     For  the  first  time  we  are 

to   dine   out   at   the   de    Broglie's.     She    made   such   a 

point  of  it.     We  are  going  to  have  a  New  Year's  Eve 

party. 


Of  course,  I  am  in  another  scrape — the  same  old  story. 
At  Madame  Recamier's.  She  is  short,  has  the  most 
beautiful  auburn  hair,  is  an  Austrian  by  birth,  married 
to  a  Frenchman.  She  swears  eternal  devotion — I  do  the 
same  but  do  not  mean  it  in  the  least.  It  is,  I  hope,  only 
a  passing  fancy.  Her  husband  neglects  her,  so  she  says 

136 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1819 

—but  will  meet  him  to-morrow  as  she  has  bidden  me  to 
a  large  dinner-party.  We  went  last  night  to  the  opera. 
Mamma  took  Frances  for  the  first  time.  She  was 
delighted,  it  was  a  pleasure  to  see  her  so  happy. 

NOVEMBER  16 

Some  most  important  dispatches  have  arrived  from 
America  which  will  keep  me  busy  for  a  long  time.  Father 
frets  a  little  that  he  has  not  more  important  work  to  do. 
He  is  writing  on  finance,  which  keeps  him  very  busy. 
We  have  a  dinner  to-night,  all  Americans.  Mamma 
is  so  pleased  as  she  then  can  join  in  the  general  conversa- 
tion. It  must  be  very  hard  for  her  when  only  French  is 
spoken. 

DECEMBER  1818 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  Due  de  Richelieu  will  resign. 

He  has  been  attacked  in  the  most  unseemly  manner  by 

the  party  headed  by  Monsieur  Decazes.    The  New  Cabinet 

has  been  formed  led  by  Decazes. 

Mamma  came  back  for  Christmas  from  Fontainebleau; 

we  were  very  quiet  as  one  of  her  sisters  has  died  in  America 

—which  had  placed  us  in  mourning. 

I  am  sorry  to  say  I  cannot  get  rid  of  Madame  S.     She 

will  not  leave  me  alone.     Something  must  be  done  to 

bring  about  a  rupture.     The  New  Year  may  bring  me 

some  luck. 

JANUARY  3,  1819 

As  everybody  does,  I  have  made  all  sorts  of  good 
resolutions  for  1819.  I  do  not  suppose  I'll  keep  one  of 
them.  The  new  Government  seems  very  obstinate,  re  the 
Indemnity  claims — always  some  excuses,  something  crop- 
ping up  to  delay  the  settlement.  Poor  Monsieur  de  Riche- 
lieu, the  most  simple  of  men,  has  inspired  Madame  Berna- 
dotte  (the  Queen  of  Sweden)  with  a  violent  passion;  she 
follows  him  like  a  dog,  her  carriage  waits  outside  his  door 
for  hours;  and  the  moment  he  appears  from  the  porte- 

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1819]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

cockere,  her  coachman  whips  up  his  horses  and  follows. 
Madame  de  Duras  also  causes  much  amusement,  she 
cannot  conceal  her  jealousy  of  Madame  Recamier,  who 
has  stolen  M.  de  Chateaubriand  from  her.  Really  these 
old  ladies  and  their  love  affairs  are  too  funny ! 

JANUARY  10 

There  is  much  scandal  about  the  treatment  the  Duke  of 
Wellington  has  received  at  the  hands  of  the  Royal  Family. 
I  wonder  he  has  stood  it  so  long.  Monsieur  has  at  times 
been  most  insolent.  Father  has  decided  to  go  to  Geneva 
for  three  months.  He  has  taken  a  house  called  "Bo- 
cage,"  at  Pregny.  There  is  really  nothing  to  keep  us  in 
Paris.  Mr.  Sheldon  and  the  staff  are  quite  sufficient. 
We  leave  on  June  1 — Madame  S.  threatens  to  follow 
me  there;  if  so,  I  will  drown  myself  in  the  lake.  Madame 
Bonaparte  is  in  Geneva.  I  think  I  will  ask  her  advice 
how  I  am  to  get  rid  of  this  woman — I  must  do  something. 
The  Chamber  voted  yesterday  the  grant  of  an  income 
of  50,000  francs  a  year  to  the  Due  de  Richelieu — this  has 
given  great  satisfaction  in  all  quarters;  he  is  not  a  rich 
man  and  has  proved  his  devotion  to  his  country.  Father 
went  to  congratulate  him,  I  accompanied  him.  He  was 
much  pleased,  kissing  father  on  both  cheeks.  They  are 
in  great  sympathy,  as  both  are  men  of  the  same  calibre: 
simple,  honest,  without  fear  of  expressing  their  opinion 
and  holding  it,  if  they  think  they  are  right.  Since  I 
have  been  so  continually  with  father,  seeing  how  he 
attracts  people  to  him — those  whose  friendship  is  worth 
having — I  believe  in  magnetic  influence,  which  he  strongly 
has.  When  he  shakes  your  hand  you  feel  a  thrill  go  through 
you.  When  he  looks  into  your  eyes,  he  seems  to  absorb 
your  soul.  The  Duke  lives  in  such  a  simple  manner, 
only  two  footmen  in  the  ante-chamber.  The  Cabinet 
de  Travail  he  received  us  in  was  without  a  carpet,  the 
plainest  of  chairs  and  a  very  long  table  covered  with  black 
cloth.  A  carafe  and  a  carafon  of  eau  des  fleurs  d' oranges. 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1819 

He  never  touches  wine  of  any  description.  He  engaged 
father  to  dine  with  him  sans  faqon  on  February  3, 
to  meet  some  of  his  (the  Duke's)  enemies.  He  said  they 
were  quite  tame. 

FEBRUARY  4 

We  dined  yesterday  with  the  Due  de  Richelieu — that  is 
father  and  myself.  It  was  a  curious  company  composed 
of  most  of  his  political  opponents;  as  he  had  said  they 
certainly  were  tame,  much  too  tame  for  me — I  was  bored 
and  glad  to  escape.  First  for  a  short  time  to  the  opera, 
nothing  interesting  there.  I  remembered  it  was  Madame 
Recamier's  reception  evening,  so  hied  myself  there.  Her 
salon  is  very  beautiful,  very  classic,  but  not  quite  the 
place  for  me.  If  I  were  twenty  years  older  I  might  take 
a  mild  dose  of  that  sort  of  entertainment.  I  flew  when  I 
saw  the  majestic  form  of  Madame  de  Boigne  approaching — 
hid  behind  a  portiere  to  escape  Madame  de  Duras  and  fell 
into  the  arms  of  Madame  S.  Of  course  then  I  knew 
what  was  in  store  for  me.  Bitter  reproaches,  why  had 
I  neglected  her  who  had  given  her  soul  for  me:  I  didn't 
want  her  soul.  Well,  it  ended  as  it  always  does;  she 
arranged  her  coach  to  stop  at  the  corner  of  the  Rue 
Bonaparte,  which  it  did,  I  got  in  and  accompanied  her 
home.  Bonsoir. 

FEBRUARY  6 

Father  had  a  fainting  seizure  this  morning  which  alarmed 
us  all  very  much,  as  that  sort  of  thing  is  so  unusual  with 
him — he  enjoys  such  wonderful  health.  Mamma  would 
burn  feathers;  Berthal  wanted  to  drop  a  key  down  his 
back;  this  last  proposition  cured  him  I  think,  anyhow 
he  sent  everybody  out  of  the  room  except  mamma.  I 
went  for  the  leech  and  he  was  bled. 

FEBRUARY  8 

I  am  glad  to  say  that  father  has  entirely  recovered  from 
his  indisposition.  He  thinks  it  was  caused  by  a  very  strong 

139 


1819]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

brand  of  segars  he  has  smoked  lately;  he  is  going  to  change 
them.  He  was  in  one  of  his  happiest  moods  at  dejeuner 
to-day.  He  said  that  if  anything  was  calculated  to 
bring  a  person  round  who  had  fainted  it  was  Madame 
Berthal.  Poor  woman,  she  is  not  beautiful;  she  is  very 
tall  and  angular,  has  a  distinct  moustache,  a  very  long  and 
inquisitive  nose,  a  huge  mole  on  her  chin  which  is  full  of 
hair — which  I  am  certain  she  puts  in  curl-papers  at  night 
— but  a  wisp  of  hair  on  either  side  of  her  head ;  this  is  sur- 
mounted by  a  monumental  cap;  having  nothing  to  fasten 
it  to  she  balances  it  as  a  mountebank  does  a  ball  on  his 
head  at  a  fair.  I  always  have  my  hands  ready  to  catch 
it.  Still  I  do  not  think  we  could  dispense  with  her  services 
— she  is  invaluable.  Lucien  told  me  in  confidence  that  she 
cast  her  eagle  eye  on  him,  but  as  he  did  not  reciprocate 
she  transferred  her  affection  to  Albert's  black  Peter. 
I  think  this  must  be  true  as  I  certainly  did  hear  a  flutter 
and  a  squeak  in  the  corridor  one  day.  Berthal  disappeared 
down  one  staircase  and  Peter  down  the  other.  Mamma 
thinks  her  a  citadel  of  virtue,  so  I  have  not  undeceived 
her.  How  fortunate  we  all  can  find  some  one  to  love  or 
to  love  us.  What  would  life  be  without  it? 


FEBRUARY  10 

There  is  a  great  scandal  about  the  Orleans  family  and 
their  relationship  with  the  Court.  The  King  snubs  the 
Duke  publicly  on  every  occasion  possible.  At  some  Court 
functions  lately  he  has  really  refused  him  his  proper 
rights  as  a  Bourbon  prince.  The  Duchesse  de  Berri  was 
enceinte  but  it  came  to  nothing.  After  the  Due  de 
Berri,  Orleans  is  the  heir.  I  can  quite  understand  the 
Duchesse  d'Angoul erne's  dislike  for  the  son  of  a  man  who 
voted  for  her  parents'  death.  Twice  lately  the  Due  de 
Berri  has  invited  me  to  supper.  Not  at  the  Elysees— 
ces  dames  and  most  cheery  they  have  been.  The  truth 
is  the  Court  is  as  dull  as  can  be.  Since  the  death  of 

140 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1819 

his  father,  the  Prince  de  Conde,  the  Due  de  Bourbon* 
has  come  to  live  in  Paris.  He  retains  his  old  name  as  he 
says  he  cannot  live  up  to  that  of  Conde.  His  whole  life 
is  a  scandal,  worse  here  than  in  London. 

FEBRUARY  12 

I  have  neglected  to  write  for  two  days.  It  is  really  so 
difficult  to  find  time.  I  make  up  my  mind  to  write  every 
night  before  going  to  bed,  but  as  lately  I  have  not  been 
home  until  3  or  4  A.M.,  it  is  the  next  day.  This  is  a 
problem  that  my  brain  is  too  addled  to  probe.  There  was 
a  grand  defile  at  Court  on  Sunday;  always  the  same 
thing — very  magnificent  no  doubt  to  anybody  who  has 
never  seen  it,  but  as  we  have  to  stand  for  such  a  long  time 
it  is  most  fatiguing.  I  don't  see  how  father  bears  it. 
Mamma  escapes  it  as  she  has  been  excused  from  attending 
any  Court  function  on  account  of  her  religious  principles. 
Monday  the  Carnival  commenced;  a  lot  of  us  made 
egregious  apes  of  ourselves,  but  it  amused  us.  We  had 
pierrot  costumes  and  each  one  a  musical  instrument. 
We  supped  with  some  of  our  operatic  friends  at  the  Mai- 
son  Doree;  we  did  everything  that  was  foolish.  Puysegur 
had  much  too  much  to  drink  and  would  pour  all  the  coffee 
into  the  piano.  We  heated  francs  and  sous  in  the  fire 
and  threw  them  out  of  the  window  and  watched  the  poor 
devils  scramble  for  them,  only  to  burn  their  fingers. 
It  may  have  been  funny  for  us,  but  it  was  not  for  them — 
on  calm  reflection  I  think  it  was  very  cruel.  Tuesday 
a  small  ball  at  the  Palais  Royal,  which  was  very  amusing. 
A  great  many  English  were  present,  one  very  handsome 
woman,  Lady  Westmoreland. f  Her  husband  is  in  the 
Diplomatic  Service.  She  is  a  very  great  friend  of  the 
Duke  of  Wellington's,  also  of  Pozzo  di  Borgo.  As  there 

*  Louis  Jean  Joseph  de  Bourbon-Conde",  son  of  the  Prince  de  Conde". 

t  Priscilla  Ann  Willesley  Pole,  born  1793,  Countess  of  Westmoreland, 
an  intimate  friend  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington  and  Pozzo  di  Borgo,  the 
Russian  Ambassador. 

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1819]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

are  young  people  at  the  Elysee,  Frances  was  allowed  to  go. 
She  enjoyed  it  immensely.  She  is  so  fresh  and  pretty, 
has  a  lovely  neck  and  shoulders.  I  was  very  proud  of 
her.  Mamma  has  great  taste  and  dresses  her  to  perfec- 
tion, but  with  great  simplicity.  My  diary  is  really  very 
frivolous.  I  must  try  to  record  more  interesting  matter. 

FEBRUARY  14 

We  are  now  having  difficulties  with  the  Spanish-American 
Colonies  which  are  in  revolt.  Father  thinks  it  of  the 
greatest  importance  that  no  European  Power  should 
interfere  in  the  quarrel.  He  feels  he  must  be  continually 
on  the  alert  and  keep  himself  informed  on  all  matters 
concerning  the  subject.  He  also  feels  it  of  great  im- 
portance that  the  United  States  should  recognize  the 
South  American  Republics.  On  this  subject  he  has 
sent  a  private  note  to  all  the  European  Powers  to  prepare 
them  for  the  action  to  be  taken  by  his  Government  so 
that  it  will  not  come  as  a  surprise  to  them.  The  Congress 
of  Aix  la  Chapelle  is  now  sitting.  Its  policy  with  regard 
to  the  United  States  is  very  favourable.  Spain  finds 
herself  isolated  by  the  Powers  and  is  treating  with  father, 
or  at  least  through  him  for  the  sale  of  Florida.  I  have 
to  give  up  all  gaieties  at  present  as  it  is  a  serious  matter, 
and  all  private  notes  are  drafted  by  me  before  being 
dispatched  to  the  Secretary  of  State.  Spain  has  refused 
to  ratify  the  treaty. 

FEBRUARY  15 

There  has  been  a  new  revolution  in  Spain  and  a  complete 
change  in  the  Government.  They  have  ratified  the 
treaty,  much  to  father's  satisfaction.  He  said  to  me 
to-day  that  he  felt  more  contented  in  doing  something 
really  of  importance,  as  for  some  time  he  had  been  idling 
his  time.  Complications  have  also  arisen  with  regard 
to  the  Treaty  of  Commerce  with  France  which  has  lain 
dormant  for  some  time.  Father  has  now  taken  up  the 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1819 

matter  with  great  vigour.  M.  Hyde  de  Neuville  is 
the  French  Minister  in  Washington  and  father  is  in 
close  correspondence  with  him. 

FEBRUARY  16 

As  I  am  now  pretty  free  from  work,  I  have  again  started 
my  vie  de  polichinelle,  as  mamma  insists  on  calling 
it.  Father  always  smiles  when  she  says  this  as  her 
pronunciation  of  the  words  is  so  funny. 

FEBRUARY  17 

The  last   days   of  the   Carnival — a   bat-masque  at   the 

opera  to-night. 

FEBRUARY  19 

I  have  really  been  too  tired  even  to  open  my  diary. 
I  make  such  good  resolutions,  but  once  I  get  in  the  swim 
with  my  friends,  off  I  go,  like  a  champagne  cork.  I 
love  amusing  myself.  I  know  very  shortly  I  will  have 
to  settle  down  to  some  steady  work.  To-night  we  have  ar- 
ranged a  very  original  car  for  the  Carnival.  We,  the  men 
of  course,  are  carefully  disguised,  for  it  would  never  do 
for  us  to  be  recognized,  particularly  in  the  company 
we  so  much  prefer.  I  am  to  be  an  apple,  P.  a  pear, 
R.  a  peach,  D.  a  carrot,  G.  a  bunch  of  grapes,  L.  a  fig. 
The  ladies  are  each  a  different  flower  and  the  car  is  in  the 
shape  of  a  large  gilt  basket  with  a  high  handle  hung 
with  paper  lanterns  all  in  the  shapes  of  fruits  and  flowers. 
We  hope  it  will  be  a  success. 

FEBRUARY  21 

Indeed  we  did  have  a  success;  we  were  cheered  the  whole 
length  of  the  boulevards,  but  one  unfortunate  incident. 
Celestine  of  the  honourable  corps  de  ballet  in  her  eager- 
ness fell  out  of  the  basket;  fortunately  she  fell  on  a  fat 
woman  or  she  might  have  been  seriously  injured.  But 
I  hold  my  breath  when  I  recall  the  scene:  she  was  dressed 

143 


1819]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

as  a  poppy,  but  I  suppose  by  sheer  forgetfulness  she  had 
forgotten  to  put  on  anything  but  the  dress;  or  she  may 
have  wished  it  to  be  very  realistic,  and  as  poppies  do  not 
wear  underclothes,  she  did  not.  The  fat  woman  was  so 
incensed  that  seizing  her  opportunity  as  Celestine  was 
completely  turned  up,  began  to  belabour  her  with  her 
reticule  on  that  portion  of  the  body  on  which  generally 
we  receive  punishment  in  our  early  childhood.  We 
dragged  poor  C.  more  dead  than  alive  back  into  the  car. 
The  reticule  was  of  sharp  steel  beads.  Celestine  stood 
up  for  the  remainder  of  the  evening.  The  usual  supper, 
&c.  &c. 


FEBRUARY  23 

Ball  at  the  Ely  see  last  night — very  brilliant  as  usual. 
The  beautiful  Lady  Westmoreland  came  escorted  by 
Pozzo  di  Borgo;  she  was  much  admired.  The  Duchesse 
de  Berri  was  full  of  animation;  she  has  an  unfortunate 
way  of  moving,  which  is  totally  devoid  of  elegance  or 
grace.  She  is  more  like  a  child.  She  will  suddenly  run 
up  to  the  Duke  and  hang  on  his  arm,  no  matter  whom  he 
may  be  in  conversation  with.  The  Orleans  family  is 
in  full  force,  but  oddly  enough  no  other  members  of  the 
Royal  Family.  I  think  it  really  made  it  more  informal 
and  far  more  enjoyable.  I  begged  hard  for  mamma  to 
allow  Frances  to  go.  I  even  enlisted  father,  but  he  said 
he  left  such  matters  to  mamma,  that  they  were  far  too 
grave  for  him  to  decide.  I  know  all  the  same  he  would  have 
wished  Frances  to  enjoy  herself.  She  is  really  too  young. 

MARCH 

Now  that  Lent  is  here  there  will  be  more  rest  for  me  and 
I  intend  doing  some  serious  reading.  I  have  asked  father 
to  make  a  list  of  books  that  he  thinks  will  be  of  benefit 
to  me.  He  had  a  long  letter  from  Madame  Patterson 
Bonaparte  to-day.  She  is  in  Rome,  is  evidently  very  well 

144 


MADAME   PATTERSON   BONAPARTE    (THREE   VIEWS) 

BY  GILBERT  STUART 
By  kind  permission  of  the  Countess  Moltke-Huitfeldt,  nee  Bonaparte 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1819 

received,  particularly  by  all  the  members  of  the  Bona- 
parte family.  In  most  of  her  letters  is  asking  his  advice 
about  investments  for  her  savings.  Her  one  god  seems 
to  be  money.  Father  has  the  highest  opinion  of  her 
intelligence — particularly  on  financial  matters — she  is  so 
shrewd.  He  often  has  said  had  she  met  the  Emperor 
Napoleon,  and  had  joined  forces  with  him,  the  fate  of 
Europe  might  be  quite  different  from  what  it  is  to-day. 
Mamma  does  not  like  her,  but  like  the  sensible  woman 
she  is,  never  commits  herself;  in  fact  she  always  refrains 
from  expressing  any  opinion  that  may  annoy  father. 
They  really  are  a  model  husband  and  wife.  I  do  not 
see  such  another  happy  and  contented  couple  anywhere. 
Among  our  relatives  in  Geneva  I  find  them,  but  their  lives 
are  so  simple,  they  are  so  unworldly,  living  only  for 
their  families.  I  suppose  it  is  rather  a  selfish  one,  but 
still  it  has  always  struck  me  that  it  is  the  right  life  to 
lead.  Moralizing  now.  Well  it  is  Lent.  What  could  I 
do  better  ? 

MARCH  1819 

So  little  of  interest  to  record.  I  have  been  trying  to  do 
my  duty,  and  have  been  taking  Frances  to  see  all  the 
fine  churches,  to  the  Luxembourg  and  various  places 
of  interest.  I  think  it  as  well  she  should  have  something 
to  talk  about  when  she  comes  out  in  the  world  next 
year.  Mamma  has  no  idea  of  keeping  her  always  at  her 
side  and  not  allowing  her  to  talk  to  young  men.  It  is 
really  quite  absurd  the  way  French  girls  are  brought  up. 
How  can  they  learn  anything  about  the  man  they  are 
to  marry  if  they  are  never  allowed  even  to  see  them 
without  a  duenna  is  present.  Madame  de  Stael  was  so 
sensible  on  this  matter.  She  allowed  Albertine  at  Coppet 
to  go  for  long  walks  with  de  Broglie,  so  that  they  would 
know  each  other  before  marriage.  It  certainly  in  this  case 
is  a  success  as  I  have  never  seen  a  happier  couple  in  my 
life;  they  are  a  model  to  all  young  married  people. 

145 


1819]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 
APRIL 

Such  lovely  weather.  The  trees  are  all  breaking  into 
leaf,  all  is  so  fresh.  Really  I  think  the  spring  is  the  best 
season.  It  has  the  same  bloom  of  freshness  like  a  young 
child.  I  must  really  marry.  I  am  sick  of  the  thraldom 
of  Madame  S.  I  have  begun  to  dislike  her.  Of  course,  I 
blame  myself,  but  still  she  was  older  than  me.  I  am 
quite  sick  of  this  liaison.  I  have  tried  to  break  it  on 
several  occasions  but  she  makes  such  scenes,  and  as  I 
am  rather  weak  where  women  are  concerned  I  always 
give  in.  » 

APRIL  8 

There  is  much  entertaining  at  present,  but  I  am  keeping 
very  quiet.  I  really  have  not  felt  at  all  well  for  some 
time.  My  teeth  have  been  giving  me  a  great  deal  of 
trouble.  The  dentist  says  it  is  from  the  fever  I  had  in 
Russia  and  the  intense  cold  there.  I  will  be  glad  when 
we  get  to  the  quiet  of  Geneva;  I  love  going  on  the  lake. 
Father  has  a  horror  of  my  sailing.  Two  of  his  cousins 
on  the  twenty-first  birthday  of  the  eldest  went  for  a  sail  in 
a  new  boat  that  had  been  given  to  the  latter  for  his  birth- 
day. Their  house  is  actually  on  the  lake  on  the  way  by  the 
lower  road  to  Pregny.  The  wind  is  very  treacherous  on  the 
lake  on  account  of  the  surrounding  mountains.  The  boat 
capsized  in  full  view  of  both  their  father  and  mother  and 
both  of  the  lads  were  drowned  before  help  could  be 
obtained  to  rescue  them.  By  their  death,  father  was 
left  the  last  male  of  the  Gallatin  family. 

APRIL  20 

I  was  told  such  an  interesting  story  to-day  about  Robert 
Fulton.*  It  seems  during  the  Terror  he  was  in  Paris; 
wishing  to  go  to  England  on  business  he  obtained  a  permit 

*  Robert  Fulton  (inventor),  first  steamboat  on  the  Seine,  Paris,  Au- 
gust 9,  1803.  At  New  York,  1807,  started  a  steamboat,  the  Clermont, 
on  the  Hudson  River. 

146 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1819 

and  passport.  By  accident  it  was  made  out  for  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Fulton.  Arriving  at  Calais  he  was  detained  as 
there  was  no  packet  crossing.  In  the  evening  at  the 
auberge  where  he  was  lodged,  he  noticed  a  young  woman 
who  seemed  in  agony  of  mind — this  was  rather  a  common 
thing  in  those  days.  At  kst  she  summoned  up  courage 
to  speak  to  him,  saying,  "I  throw  myself  on  your  mercy. 
I  see  you  are  a  foreigner.  I  escaped  from  Paris  where  I 
had  foolishly  gone  to  try  and  save  some  important  docu- 
ments. My  husband  would  have  gone  but  he  is  very  ill  in 
England  and  I  persuaded  him  to  allow  me  to  do  so. 
I  am  without  a  passport,  and  hardly  dare  to  embark  as 
there  is  a  price  on  my  head,  and  I  am  certain  to  be  arrested 
and  sent  back  to  Paris.  Can  you  help  me?"  Fulton 
said,  "I  will  do  my  best.  I  have  my  American  passport, 
oddly  enough  by  error  it  was  made  out  for  myself  and 
wife,  but  she  is  in  America.  If  you  are  willing  to  pass  as 
Mrs.  Fulton,  my  wife,  you  are  welcome  to  the  little  pro- 
tection I  can  give  you."  As  the  lady  in  question  was  dis- 
guised and  very  simply  dressed  the  plan  succeeded  and 
with  the  deepest  gratitude  she  parted  with  him  at  Dover, 
without  revealing  her  name  to  him.  Some  years  later 
when  Fulton  was  in  Paris  trying  to  raise  money  to  put 
his  inventions  into  practice,  he  strolled  one  night  into  the 
Theatre  Fran^ais.  Looking  around  the  auditorium  he 
spied,  much  to  his  astonishment,  in  one  of  the  boxes  the 
lady  of  his  adventure  splendidly  dressed  and  covered 
with  jewels;  at  the  same  time  she  recognized  him  and 
waved  her  fan  to  him,  sending  her  husband  at  once  to 
escort  him  to  her  box.  It  was  through  her  all  the  money 
was  found  for  him  to  carry  out  his  great  work.  One 
rarely  hears  of  such  gratitude.  It  was  the  Duchesse  de  L. 

APRIL 

Mamma  is  in  her  element.  We  are  most  uncomfortable. 
Everything  in  the  house  is  turned  upside  down,  nothing 
but  cleaning.  There  is  but  one  room  sacred  and  that 

147 


1819]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

is  father's,  where  I  take  refuge.  Every  window  is  open, 
we  might  as  well  live  in  the  street;  fortunately  we  are 
entre  Cour  et  Jardin.  The  concierge  at  the  gate  has 
orders  to  refuse  admittance  to  all  carriages.  It  is  mamma's 
and  Berthal's  carnival  as  we  have  taken  a  house  near 
Geneva  for  several  months.  We  are  taking  some  of  the 
servants,  the  others  we  will  procure  there.  The  servants 
leave  shortly  as  they  go  by  diligence.  We  have  hired  a 
roomy  travelling  carriage  and  will  only  take  our  body 
servants  with  us — that  is,  two  maids,  father's  man  and 
Lucien.  They  will  be  stowed  away  in  the  rumble.  It 
will  take  us  over  a  week.  I  am  not  looking  forward 
to  it. 


MAY 

We  leave  for  Geneva  to-morrow.  I  will  be  glad  of  the 
rest.  The  life  of  a  young  man  is  a  very  gay  one,  burning 
the  candle  both  ends. 

MAY  12 

After  all  when  everything  was  packed,  the  travelling 
carriages  engaged,  father  has  some  very  important 
dispatches  which  will  keep  us  here  another  two  months. 
I  was  sorry  for  mamma  and  the  servants  who  were  going 
to  take  their  holidays.  The  house  was  all  done  up  for 
the  summer,  now  everything  has  to  be  uncovered  and 
put  straight.  The  best  part  of  it  is,  Madame  S.  had 
started  to  Aix  en  Savoi  en  route  for  Geneva.  She  will 
be  furious.  She  is  quite  capable  of  coming  back.  Still, 
I  will  have  a  short  breathing  time  of  freedom.  We  had 
excused  ourselves  to  so  many  people  who  had  sent  us 
invitations  that  we  will  look  very  stupid.  To  console 
Frances,  who  was  looking  forward  to  our  visit,  I  took  her 
to  Suresnes;  drove  her  in  my  curricle,  hired  a  canoe  and 
we  went  on  the  river.  It  was  a  glorious  day,  with  that 
delicious  smell  of  spring  in  the  air.  We  started  early  and 

148 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1819 

I  took  something  to  eat,  landed  on  an  island  and  had  a 
picnic.  We  had  chicken  and  hard-boiled  eggs,  but  we 
had  forgotten  the  salt — it  was  stupid  of  Madame  Berthal. 
She  had  put  in  some  splendid  peaches  that  we  were  going  to 
take  on  the  journey,  they  were  good:  it  quite  restored 
Frances  to  her  usual  gaiety.  She  and  I  are  such  good 
friends  but  she  has  got  a  temper  of  her  own.  I  have 
none,  I  often  wish  I  had.  We  did  not  get  home  until 
after  sunset.  I  lost  an  oar,  which  delayed  us.  I  think  it 
must  have  been  the  peach  juice  which  went  to  my  head 
as  we  had  nothing  to  drink  stronger  than  barley-water 
with  lemon.  We  were  as  happy  as  two  children.  I  think 
I  was  the  younger  of  the  two. 


NOVEMBER  1 

We  are  now  settled  down  at  home,  glad  to  get  back. 
Father  still  doing  his  best  to  effect  a  settlement  of  the 
Indemnity  claims,  but  it  is  an  uphill  task.  Monsieur 
Decazes  is  far  more  difficult  to  deal  with  than  the  Due 
de  Richelieu.  Paris  very  gay — balls  every  night.  The 
King  is  far  from  well;  we  have  no  Court  functions  as 
yet.  The  Duchesse  d' Orleans  gave  a  splendid  ball  on 
the  4th;  all  the  gardens  illuminated — a  fine  sight.  It 
seems  the  poor  old  King  was  really  made  ill  by  the  dis- 
covery of  a  plot  to  make  him  abdicate  in  favour  of  Mon- 
sieur; although  Monsieur  denied  all  knowledge  of  it, 
he  nevertheless  was  the  instigator  of  it.  We  are  having 
a  large  Christmas  dinner — Americans,  French,  and 
English.  Christmas  is  little  kept  by  the  French;  New 
Year's  Day  is  the  great  festival.  The  Carnival  is  very 
early  this  year,  so  the  gaieties  will  go  on.  Both  the 
Due  de  Berri  and  the  Due  d'Orleans  have  made  great 
innovations.  They  said  the  Court  was  much  too  dull, 
so  have  invited  all  sorts  and  conditions,  not  only  to 
parties  but  to  dinners — savants,  wits,  deputies  of  all 
shades  and  colour. 

149 


1819]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

DECEMBER  8 

The  famous  Abbe  Gregoire*  was  turned  out  of  the 
Chamber  of  Deputies  yesterday.  He  certainly  is  an 
extraordinary  mixture.  It  was  he  who  proposed  the 
abolition  of  royalty;  he  also  demanded  of  the  Assembly 
the  condemnation  to  death  of  Louis  XVI.  It  was  he 
who  made  the  Assembly  accord  civil  rights  to  the  Jews 
and  coloured  people.  He  tried  to  oppose  the  great 
Napoleon  in  every  way,  but  with  little  success. 
We  dined  yesterday  with  the  Comte  and  Comtesse 
D'Orsay.  He  is  a  wonderful  fop  but  very  witty.  Some 
of  his  stories  would  make  even  a  man  blush,  but  he 
seems  to  be  a  privileged  person.  Sosthene  de  la  Roche- 
foucauld was  one  of  the  guests — a  person  very  full  of 
his  own  importance.  Also  that  terrible  Madame  de  Boigne 
and  her  brother  were  among  the  guests;  she  tackled 
father  after  dinner,  asking  him  all  sorts  of  questions 
about  manners  and  customs  in  America.  I  think  he  was 
a  little  wearied  by  her,  as  I  heard  him  say  to  her,  "  Madame, 
when  we  have  a  social  revolution  in  America  we  may 
have  better  manners,  as  you  have."  She  exclaimed, 
"You  are  not  an  American,  you  are  one  of  us."  He 
answered,  "Pardon  me,  I  represent  a  young  and  great 
country  of  which  I  am  justly  proud."  She  is  really  a 
firebrand. 

DECEMBER  8 

Mamma  is  preparing  for  Christmas:  plum-puddings  are 
being  made.  Madame  Berthal  looks  utterly  disgusted 
when  she  goes  down  to  the  kitchen  to  stir  the  puddings; 
I  do  the  same  and  so  does  Frances.  Father  only  laughed 
when  we  told  him  about  it,  and  says,  "Why  not?" 
Madame  Recamier  has  invited  me  to  dinner  for  the  17th. 
I  consider  it  a  great  honour  as  I  am  so  young.  Four  notes 
to-day  from  Madame  S. — the  first  in  despair,  the  second 

*  The  Abb<§  Gregoire,  born  December  4,  1750,  died  April  28,  1831. 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1819 

apologizing  for  being  in  despair,  the  third  gay  and  frivo- 
lous, the  fourth  apologizing  for  being  gay  and  frivolous. 
Why  will  women  write  so  much? — a  dangerous  habit. 
All  four  went  immediately  into  the  fire.  Hysterical 
shrieks  from  the  housekeeper's  room.  I  rushed  out  to 
see  what  was  the  matter.  I  met  Berthal  supporting 
Frances  and  trying  to  balance  her  head-dress.  Frances 
was  peeling  some  apples  and  had  cut  her  finger;  like  the 
silly  little  goose  that  she  is,  she  fainted  at  the  sight  of  her 
own  blood.  I  looked  at  her  hand  and  said,  "What 
nonsense,  it's  nothing!"  As  she  passed  she  gave  me 
a  good  kick.  She  has  inherited  something  from  mamma. 
Off  to  a  supper.  No  time  to  write  any  more. 

DECEMBER  18 

A  most  amusing  dinner  at  Madame  Recamier's,  followed 
by  a  very  funny  little  lampoon  on  the  Queen  of  Sweden; 
it  was  called  Trouvez-moi,  mon  Homme.  It  was  really 
very  clever  and  well  acted.  Madame  de  J.  represented 
the  unfortunate  queen,  and  I  really  thought  at  first  it 
must  be  the  Bernadotte  in  person.  Some  music  followed. 
One  fat  lady  with  ample  and  bulging  charms — in  fact, 
bulging  everywhere — played  the  harp.  Her  arms  were 
like  legs  of  mutton;  both  arms  were  covered  with  jingling 
bracelets.  This,  perhaps,  was  fortunate,  as  it  sounded 
like  sleigh-bells  with  the  occasional  breaking  of  a  string 
or  the  snapping  of  a  whip.  When  she  had  finished  there 
was  not  a  string  left  on  the  harp. 

DECEMBER  19 

The  Due  de  Coigny  has  invited  me  to  Fontainebleau  for 
a  chasse  for  two  days.  He  is  the  governor  of  the  chateau 
and  has  a  beautiful  house.  I  am  certain  to  enjoy  myself. 

DECEMBER  20 

We  are  a  very  large  party,  all  men — Mathieu  de  Mont- 
morency,  the  Due  de  Serent,  the  Prince  de  Poix,  the 

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1819]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

Marquis  de  Champonet,  and  a  host  of  others.  I  drove 
down  with  the  Prince  de  Poix,  who  kindly  offered  to 
take  me.  We  hunt  to-morrow  morning.  The  duke  has 
placed  two  horses  at  my  disposal.  To-night  he  presented 
me  with  the  badge  of  the  chasse,  which  was  a  great  honour. 

DECEMBER  22 

We  had  a  perfect  day,  but  I  was  too  tired  to  write  last 
night.  It  was  very  late  when  I  was  able  to  retire,  as  I 
cannot  leave  until  my  elders  and  superiors  go.  The  fine 
air  made  me  so  sleepy.  We  killed  seven  fine  sangliers— 
one  fell  to  me,  of  which  I  was  very  proud;  also  two 
fine  deer.  It  is  a  wonderful  pretty  sight  the  curee  in 
front  of  a  chateau  by  torchlight  at  night;  all  the  spoils 
of  the  chase  are  laid  out  in  front  of  the  famous  horseshoe 
staircase,  then  a  sort  of  fanfare  of  cors  de  chasse  is  blown 
for  each  head  of  game — in  fact,  a  sort  of  funeral  hymn. 
I  go  back  to  Paris  to-morrow  in  Mathieu  de  Mont- 
morency's  coach;  he  is  Governor  of  Compiegne.  Such 
funny  posts  they  have  at  Court.  The  Comte  de  Cosse 
Brissac  is  Premier  panetier  du  Roi. 

DECEMBER  24 

I  have  managed  to  save  a  little  money,  and  with  the  legacy 
which  I  had  from  my  aunt,  which  was  five  hundred  francs, 
I  have  bought  Frances  a  small  string  of  pearls  with  a 
nice  diamond  clasp.  As  we  were  not  able  to  dine  with 
the  de  Broglies  last  Christmas  we  are  dining  with  them 
to-morrow.  Mamma  sent  the  Duchesse  a  plum-pudding, 
a  huge  one.  Our  cousins  Naville  and  Jules  de  Bude 
arrived  to-night  from  Geneva  to  pay  us  a  visit.  Jules  is 
a  kindred  spirit  of  mine.  Adrien  Naville's  mother  was 
an  heiress,  Mile  de  Gallatin,  the  only  daughter  of  the 
Count  Paul  Michael,  the  head  of  the  family  and  father's 
guardian.  Her  mother  was  nee  de  Bugnac  and  niece 
of  the  Due  de  Biron;  so  Adrien  has  a  host  of  relatives 
in  Paris.  Father  is  very  fond  of  him  as  he  is  very  clever 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1819 

and  studious.      Jules  is  quite  the  opposite;  his  studies 
are  devoted  to  that  of  the  female  form  divine. 

DECEMBER  26 

We  had  such  a  cheerful  Christmas  Eve.  Some  Americans 
who  have  no  relatives  here; "father  insisted  on  inviting 
them  and  made  mamma  prepare  a  present  for  each.  For 
supper  we  had  one  of  the  famous  plum-puddings,  which 
was  carried  in  all  ablaze.  Frances  has  been  hugging  me 
ever  since  I  gave  her  the  necklace.  I  tell  her  to  pay 
attention  to  all  the  pearls  that  fall  from  my  lips.  Oh, 
woman,  woman !  Dear  mamma  gave  me  a  large  pair  of 
worsted  mittens  which  she  had  knitted  herself;  she 
intended  them  for  a  great  surprise,  but  every  time  for 
the  last  fortnight  I  went  into  her  room  there  was  a 
scuffle.  One  day  they  were  lying  in  her  chair;  she 
suddenly  sat  down  on  them,  needles  and  all.  They  are 
orange  and  brown,  absolutely  hideous,  but  I  will  wear 
them  as  I  cannot  wound  her  feelings.  Father  gave  me 
five  hundred  francs — it  was  good  of  him;  Frances,  a 
satin  shaving-paper  holder  which  she  had  worked  with 
our  coat-of-arms,  which  was  quite  crooked. 
The  dinner  at  the  de  Broglie's  was  quite  delightful,  without 
any  ceremony.  Both  Adrien  and  Jules  are  cousins  of 
Albertine's.  We  were  twenty  in  all — mostly  family. 
First  we  had  some  silly  charades  and  then  we  ended  by 
dancing.  Jules  drank  much  too  much.  Mamma  said 
to  me,  "How  could  you?"  I  said,  "It's  Jules;  I'm 
not  drunk."  We  all  had  presents:  mine  was  a  beautiful 
whip  for  my  curricle  with  an  ivory  handle  and  gold  end 
engraved  with  my  initials.  To  Frances  they  gave  a 
lovely  brooch  formed  of  a  large  aquamarine  surrounded 
by  small  diamonds. 

DECEMBER  30 

I  have  been  literally  burning  the  candle  at  both  ends. 
I  do  not  think  Jules  and  I  have  slept  in  our  own  beds 

153 


1820]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

since  Christmas  night.  He  looks  a  wreck.  I  am  sorry 
to  say  that  both  he  and  Adrien  leave  on  New  Year's  Day; 
they  are  going  on  a  tour  to  Germany  and  Italy.  They 
are  great  friends,  although  so  absolutely  different  in 
character. 

DECEMBER  31 

Jules  and  I  have  made  all  sorts  of  engagements.  I  am 
going  to  have  a  nap  this  afternoon  as  I  am  certain  we 
shall  be  up  until  the  small  hours  of  to-morrow  morning. 
Good-bye  1819;  I  part  with  you  with  regret.  What  a 
pity  I  cannot  say  "Au  revoir"  I 

JANUARY  1,  1820 

"A  Happy  New  Year."  New  resolutions,  only  to  be 
broken.  Such  a  night !  Last  night  I  did  not  get  home 
until  7  o'clock  this  morning.  This  is  rather  Irish ! 
We  have  just  come  from  paying  our  respects  to  the 
King — the  same  New  Year's  Court;  also  to  the  Palais 
Royale  and  to  the  Elysee.  It  is  such  weary  waiting, 
standing  all  the  time.  I  wonder  father  bears  it  so  well; 
he  never  seems  tired. 

JANUARY  24 

A  magnificent  ball  at  the  Elysee  last  night.  In  the 
morning  news  had  come  to  us  of  the  death  of  the  Duke 
of  Kent,  but  it  was  not  to  be  made  public  until  to-day, 
so  the  ball  would  take  place.  The  Due  de  Berri  looked 
very  much  out  of  temper.  The  Orleans  family  did  not 
appear,  and  it  at  once  became  whispered  about  that 
the  Duke  of  Kent*  was  dead.  Of  course  it  had  a  very 
bad  effect.  Had  the  Allies  still  been  here  there  would 
have  been  no  ball.  It  seems  a  great  relief  to  the  Royal 
Family  that  the  Allies  have  been  withdrawn.  I  am  not 
surprised — but  that  they  do  not  show  much  gratitude. 

*  Duke  of  Kent,  son  of  George  III,  and  father  of  the  late  Queen 
Victoria. 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1820 
FEBRUARY  8 

We  had  a  fine  time  yesterday.  Some  of  our  ladies  of 
the  opera  were  going  to  have  a  fine  car  for  the  Carnival. 
Several  of  us  wanted  to  join  them,  but  they  were  not 
allowed  to  have  men  in  their  car.  We  got  over  the 
difficulty  by  getting  women's  costumes.  There  were 
six  of  us  all  dressed  in  full  ballet  dress,  fleshing  tights, 
and  full  ballet-skirts;  bare  arms  and  necks,  wigs  and 
masks.  I  was  nearly  frozen.  We  had  a  lot  of  cham- 
pagne, which  helped  to  keep  us  warm.  We  had  supper 
at  the  Maison  Doree  and  such  a  supper !  About  2 
o'clock  in  the  morning  there  was  a  loud  knocking  at  the 
door:  "Ouvrez,  au  nom  du  Roi."  You  can  imagine 
our  feelings — particularly  mine,  as  I  was  the  only  one 
belonging  to  an  embassy — to  be  found  in  ballet-skirts 
by  the  police!  The  door  was  opened  and  in  walked 
three  of  the  heads  of  the  police.  "  Vos  noms,  messieurs 
et  dames."  We  had  taken  off  our  wigs  and  masks,  so 
were  easily  recognized.  Suddenly  there  was  a  shout 
from  Rochefoucauld,  who  jumped  on  the  leading  man, 
dragging  off  his  hat  and  wig,  discovering  Puysegur.  To 
all  three  he  did  the  same  thing.  With  roars  of  laughter 
they  told  us  they  had  disguised  themselves  and  had  been 
to  every  room  in  the  cafe  and  had  taken  the  names  of 
all  the  occupants.  We  were  the  first  to  find  them  out. 
As  they  were  all  friends  of  ours,  we  made  them  join  us, 
and  the  fun  became  fast  and  furious.  De  la  Rochefou- 
cauld had  suddenly  remembered  that  during  the  Carnival 
no  descents  of  the  police  were  made,  so  he  risked  pulling 
off  Puysegur's  wig.  It  took  me  a  long  time  to  recover 
from  the  shock.  It  would  have  been  a  serious  matter 
for  me,  particularly  if  it  had  been  made  public.  I  would 
have  been  obliged  to  leave  Paris.  I  do  not  know  what 
father  would  have  done.  Oh,  my  head  to-day!  We 
are  planning  some  more  mischief  to  come  off  before  the 
end  of  the  Carnival.  Puysegur  had  a  list  of  several  well- 
known  people,  whose  names  he  took.  We  are  going  to 
make  them  dance  before  we  have  finished. 

155 


1820]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

FEBRUARY  10 

We  put  our  heads  together  and  have  sent  the  most 
official-looking  documents  to  all  whose  names  were  taken 
to  appear  at  the  Hotel  de  Ville  to-morrow.  We  intend 
going  to  some  vantage-point  to  see  them  arrive. 

FEBRUARY  11 

Our  joke  came  off  splendidly.  Coach  after  coach 
drove  up,  but  when  the  occupants  asked  for  a  certain 
room,  which  number  we  put  on  the  document,  they 
were  informed  there  was  no  such  room.  Then  one  of 
the  documents  was  shown  to  an  official,  who  said,  "It 
is  Carnival;  you  have  been  duped."  I  wish  you  could 
have  seen  their  faces.  Some  of  the  ones  of  high  rank 
had  written  to  the  Due  de  Berri  to  intercede  for  them  and 
did  not  appear.  He  had  been  informed  that  it  was  a 
joke  and  joined  in  it.  We  won't  hear  anything  about  it. 
There  is  not  one  dare  make  any  trouble.  It  seems  the 
Duke  was  very  much  amused,  and  has  made  many  sallies 
about  it  to  the  unfortunate  ones,  particularly  the  married 
ones. 

FEBRUARY  13 

On  Saturday  there  was  a  magnificent  ball  given  by 
Monsieur  de  Greffuhle.  He  had  lately  been  made  a  peer. 
The  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berri  were  present.  There 
had  been  rumours  that  there  was  a  plot  to  assassinate 
the  Duke;  all  noticed  that  Monsieur  de  Greffuhle  never 
left  him,  and  seemed  much  relieved  when  the  Berris 
retired.  The  Princesse  de  Galitzin  bade  me  come  to 
her  box  at  the  opera  on  Sunday.  We  had  the  box  adjoin- 
ing the  Royal  one.  The  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berri 
were  very  well  received.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  opera, 
before  the  ballet  commenced,  the  Duchess  rose  and, 
bowing  to  the  audience,  retired  with  the  Duke.  As  I 
was  not  feeling  well,  I  begged  Madame  de  Galitzin  to 
excuse  me  and  immediately  followed.  In  the  corridor 

156 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1820 

I  heard  a  commotion,  and,  opening  a  door,  I  found 
myself  by  the  Royal  exit.  Monsieur  de  Brissac  rushed 
up  to  me  saying,  "Shut  the  door  and  stand  by  it;  do 
not  let  any  one  pass  in  or  out.  There  has  been  an  attack 
on  the  life  of  the  Due  de  Berri."  At  that  moment  the 
Duke  appeared,  supported  on  one  side  by  the  Duchess 
and  on  the  other  by  Madame  de  Bethisy.*  I  could  see  a 
dagger  sticking  in  his  breast,  but  he  was  talking  in  a  low 
voice  to  his  wife.  She  was  wonderfully  calm,  but  tears 
were  running  down  her  cheeks.  She  is  enceinte.  I  fear 
this  may  kill  her.  I  heard  orders  being  given  to  send 
at  once  for  Monsieur  and  the  Due  d'Angouleme.  Mon- 
sieur arrived  first,  accompanied  by  the  Due  de  Fitz  James, 
and  immediately  went  into  the  Royal  salon,  which  is 
behind  the  King's  loge.  They  were  closely  followed  by 
the  Due  d'Angouleme  and  the  Due  de  Maille;  then 
came  Monsieur  Decazes  and  a  host  of  others.  It  was 
all  the  more  tragic  as  I  could  hear  the  music  of  the  ballet 
which  was  still  going  on.  The  audience  had  no  knowl- 
edge of  what  had  happened.  I  forgot  to  mention  that 
before  anybody  arrived  I  heard  a  sharp  cry  from  the 
Royal  salon.  I  was  told  afterwards  that  the  Duke  tried 
to  pull  the  knife  out  of  his  breast  but  was  unable  to  do 
so — that  Madame  de  Bethisy,  with  great  presence  of 
mind,  pulled  it  out.  Both  she  and  the  Duchess  were 
deluged  in  blood.  I  heard  somebody  say,  "  Does  anybody 
know  if  the  knife  was  poisoned?"  Monsieur  Decazes 
passed  me  hurriedly  with  Fitz-James.  When  they 
returned  (it  seems  they  had  been  to  question  the  assassin) 
I  heard  Monsieur  Decazes  say  in  a  loud  voice,  "  The  knife 
is  not  poisoned."  By  this  time  several  doctors  arrived 
and  were  doing  all  they  could  to  staunch  the  flow  of 
blood.  I  could  see  into  the  salon,  as  the  door  was  left 
open  as  there  were  so  many  people.  Monsieur  Rohan- 
Chabotf  came  up  to  me  and  begged  me  to  still  stop  by 

*  Lady  in  waiting  to  the  Duchess, 
t  Son  of  the  Due  de  Rohan. 

157 


1820]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

the  door  I  was  guarding.  At  that  moment  the  Due 
d'Orleans,  with  the  Duchesse  and  Mile  d'Orleans,  passed 
into  the  salon;  they  were  all  in  tears.  The  next  thing 
I  heard  was  an  order  given  to  send  for  the  King.  The 
Due  de  Maille  went  to  fetch  him.  I  felt  then  there  could 
not  be  much  hope.  To  my  horror,  I  heard  the  Duchesse 
de  Berri  in  loud  tones  denouncing  Monsieur  Decazes, 
saying,  "  C'est  lui,  le  vrai  assassin."  They  tried  to  stop 
her.  A  sudden  hush  and  the  poor  old  King  arrived, 
leaning  heavily  on  the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme  and  the 
Due  de  Maille.*  His  Majesty  was  composed  and  looking 
very  stern.  It  was  an  extraordinary  sight.  The  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme  hurriedly  passed  me  and  met  poor  little 
Mademoiselle,  who  had  been  sent  for  and  came  carried 
in  the  arms  of  Mile  de  Gontaut.f  Then  two  priests 
passed.  I  knew  then  the  end  was  near.  Suddenly  all  knelt. 
As  the  sacrament  was  being  given  to  the  dying  man  I  think 
everybody  was  in  tears;  I  know  I  cried.  Then  in  silence 
we  all  rose  to  our  feet  and  waited.  It  seemed  hours  to 
me,  as  I  was  ready  to  drop  with  fatigue.  Then  the 
priest  began  intoning  a  prayer.  Again  all  sank  on  to 
their  knees.  The  end  had  come.  Then  a  horrible  thing 
happened.  The  Duchesse  de  Berri  again  commenced  to 
scream,  calling  Monsieur  Decazes  "Assassin!  Assassin!" 
It  was  really  too  horrible.  After  they  had  quieted  her, 
in  absolute  silence — with  the  exception  of  the  Grand 
Chamberlain  announcing  "Le  Roi,  le  Roi" — a  mournful 
procession  passed  me.  First,  the  King  supporting  the 
Duchesse  de  Berri,  who  had  the  hand  of  Mademoiselle, 
the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme  on  the  other  side  of  her; 
they  were  followed  by  all  the  rest  of  the  Royal  Family. 
I  could  hear  the  orders  given  by  the  officers  to  the  soldiers 
who  by  now  were  keeping  the  streets. 
Monsieur  de  Brissac  came  to  me,  shook  my  hands  and 

*  Grand  Chamberlain  of  Louis  XVIII. 

tThe  MS.  here  is  illegible  and    I   have   had   to    guess   at   the 
meaning. — ED. 

158 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1820 

simply  said  "Merci."  He  asked  me  if  I  would  like  to 
go  into  the  salon.  I  followed  him.  He  motioned  me 
to  kneel  and,  handing  the  brush  from  the  holy-water  bowl, 
motioned  me  to  sprinkle  the  corpse,  which  I  did.  I 
would  not  believe  the  Duke  was  dead.  He  was  still  sitting 
up  in  a  large  gilt  arm-chair, -his  head  supported  by  a 
cushion,  and  surrounded  by  the  officers  of  his  household. 
The  priest  knelt  in  front  of  him  praying.  It  was  a 
sight  I  will  never  forget.  In  silence  Monsieur  de  Maille 
shook  my  hand,  and  I  retired.  On  gaining  the  street, 
which  was  packed  with  people  and  troops,  I  had  great 
difficulty  in  getting  through  the  crowd,  had  it  not 
happened  that  I  was  recognized  by  one  of  the  officers, 
Monsieur  de  Puysegur,  who  sent  an  escort  of  soldiers  to 
make  way  for  me.  Although  more  dead  than  alive  when 
arriving  at  home,  I  at  once  went  up  to  father's  room  and 
awakened  him.  When  I  told  him  the  news  he  exclaimed, 
"What  a  catastrophe! — the  unfortunate  Bourbons — a 
blow  for  France  indeed!"  He  made  me  go  at  once  to 
bed  as  I  was  hardly  able  to  stand. 

FEBRUARY  16 

At  10  o'clock  this  morning  a  note  was  sent  that  all  the 
Diplomatic  Corps  were  to  go  to  the  Tuilleries  at  1  o'clock. 
I  accompanied  father.  The  large  salle  was  in  total  darkness 
with  the  exception  of  about  twenty  large  candles  (sieges)  in 
great  silver  candlesticks.  In  order  of  seniority,  first  the 
Ambassadors  and  their  suites,  then  the  Ministers,  passed 
before  the  throne,  in  front  of  which  was  standing  the 
Due  d'Angouleme  surrounded  by  the  high  Court  officials 
in  the  deepest  mourning.  Absolute  silence  with  the 
exception  of  the  announcement  by  the  Grand  Chamber- 
lain as  the  representative  of  each  country  passed — La 
Russie,  I'Espagne,  &c.  &c. — followed  by  the  dropping  on 
the  floor  of  the  halberds  with  a  ringing  sound.  It  was 
most  solemn  and  impressionable.  The  Duke  bowed  to 
each  one.  Not  a  word  was  spoken.  So  we  passed  out. 

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1820]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

The  assassin's  name  is  Louvel,  a  saddler.  It  seems  he 
has  been  following  the  poor  Duke  for  a  long  time  waiting 
his  opportunity.  He  must  have  had  many  chances  as 
the  Duke  went  about  in  the  most  open  manner,  often 
quite  alone.  Rumours  of  all  sorts.  Some  say  it  was  a 
conspiracy.  The  Duchesse  de  Berri  still  accuses  Monsieur 
Decazes  of  being  the  head  of  it.  Others  that  it  was 
a  personal  revenge.  "  Cherchez  la  femme,"  others  say; 
the  Duke's  amours  were  so  well  known — he  not  taking 
the  slightest  care  to  hide  them. 

FEBRUARY  17 

This  morning  father  went  to  the  Palais  Royal  and  was 
received  by  Mile  d'Orleans.  She  was  in  great  grief;  she 
was  devoted  to  the  Due  de  Berri.  She  said,  when  dying 
he  was  the  most  collected  and  calm  of  them  all,  that  he 
thought  of  everybody — of  two  children,  girls,  who  were 
in  England;  they  are  the  daughters  of  a  "Miss  Brown" 
whom  he  married  in  London  under  a  false  name  before 
the  Restoration.  He  begged  his  wife  to  take  them  and  to 
bring  them  up  as  if  they  were  her  own  daughters.  She 
promised  to  do  so.  He  tried  to  comfort  one  and  all. 

FEBRUARY  18 

So  great  is  the  outcry  against  Monsieur  Decazes  that 
he  will  have  to  leave  the  Ministry.  Father  is  much 
incensed  about  it;  I  will  not  for  one  moment  believe 
that  he  was  in  any  way  implicated.  Decazes'  life  has 
been  threatened  and  he  has  to  go  about  guarded.  The 
people  insult  him  as  he  passes  in  his  carriage;  they  are 
incensed  against  him.  It  is  a  strange  thing  that  the 
populace  always  have  affection  for  a  Royalty  who  is 
a  little  wild.  It  was  exactly  the  same  with  Henri  IV, 
whom  the  late  Duke  much  resembled  in  the  life  he  led. 

FEBRUARY  19 

A  Monsieur  Claude  de  Coursergues,  a  deputy,  denounced 
Monsieur  Decazes  in  the  Chamber  yesterday  as  insti- 

160 


I 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1820 

gator  of  the  assassination.  I  am  glad  to  say  he  was 
indignantly  howled  down. 

The  King  sent  this  morning  for  the  Due  de  Richelieu, 
who  was  on  the  eve  of  starting  for  England  to  compliment 
George  IV  on  his  accession.  The  King  requested  him 
to  take  Monsieur  Decazes'  place,  but  he  absolutely 
refused  to  do  so.  When  pressed  for  his  reasons  he  said 
"the  King  was  so  old"  and  that  "Monsieur"  (the 
heir  to  the  Crown)  was  absolutely  opposed  to  him. 

FEBRUARY  21 

It  seems  that  Monsieur  had  given  his  word  that  if  he 
became  king  he  would  support  Monsieur  de  Richelieu. 
Still  nothing  decided. 

FEBRUARY  22 

Monsieur  Decazes  has  begged  the  King  to  accept  his 
resignation.  After  some  time,  it  seems,  the  King,  with 
great  grief,  accepted  it.  He  created  him  "Due"  and 
he  goes  to  London  as  ambassador.  Monsieur  de  Richelieu 
at  last  has  consented  to  accept  office.  Monsieur  has 
given  him  every  promise  of  support  in  every  way.  Father 
has  no  faith  in  Monsieur's  promises.  He  thinks  him 
false  in  everything. 

The  lying-in-state  and  funeral  of  the  Due  de  Berri  was 
very  fine.  The  actual  funeral  was  not  on  so  grand  a 
scale  as  that  of  the  Prince  de  Conde,  which  I  have 
mentioned  before. 

MARCH  1820 

The  Duchesse  de  Berri  is  more  violent  than  ever  against 
the  Due  de  Decazes  and  his  party;  it  is  all  very  painful. 
Of  course  all  gaiety  and  entertaining  is  at  an  end.  For 
myself,  I  have  no  heart  for  it.  I  can  scarcely  realize 
that  the  poor  Duke  is  dead — always  so  gay  and  cheerful, 
so  full  of  life  and  spirits.  He  will  be  more  and  more 
missed  as  time  goes  on;  there  is  nobody  to  fill  his  place. 
The  Queen  of  Sweden  is  getting  madder  and  madder, 

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1820]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

she  does  not  let  poor  Monsieur  de  Richelieu  alone  for  a 
moment;  she  is  the  laughing-stock  of  Paris.  He  will 
not  even  speak  to  her,  but  that  seems  to  egg  her  on  all 
the  more.  Louvel  was  questioned  in  private,  but  his 
trial  will  not  take  place  as  yet.  Some  say  he  is  a 
lunatic. 

APRIL 

I  only  go  to  the  Fran^ais  now.  Mile  George  is  very  fine. 
Poor  old  Talma  one  can  hardly  hear.  It  is  really  sad  to 
see  the  wreck  of  such  a  once  fine  actor;  still  at  times 
he  has  fine  bursts  of  passion,  revealing  some  of  his  old 
powers.  The  opera  has  been  closed  since  the  assassina- 
tion of  the  Duke. 

APRIL 

A  bomb  exploded  yesterday  at  the  Louvre.  Rumour 
says  that  several  bombs  have  been  discovered  in  the 
gardens  and  under  the  windows  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berri. 
The  poor  old  King  is  much  disturbed.  He,  as  well  as 
everybody  else,  fears  that  if  a  bomb  did  explode  near 
to  the  apartment  occupied  by  the  Duchesse  de  Berri 
it  might  bring  on  a  premature  confinement.  Since  the 
death  of  the  Duke  the  Duchess  has  moved  to  the  Tuilleries. 
The  eyes  of  the  whole  of  France  are  fixed  on  the  palace, 
hoping  for  an  heir.  LouveFs  trial  commenced  on  the 
5th.  I  applied  for  permission  to  attend,  which  was 
granted. 

It  seems  he  is  now  thought  to  be  a  lunatic  and  there  will 
be  a  further  trial.  All  this  must  be  most  painful  to  the 
Royal  Family.  There  are  strange  rumours  afloat  about 
the  bombs;  even  the  Duchesse  de  Bern's  name  is 
mentioned — it  is  too  monstrous. 

MAY  1820 

An  officer  of  bad  character  has  been  arrested  in  con- 
nexion with  the  bomb  explosions.  He  is  to  be  tried 
at  once. 

162 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1820 

Madame  Patterson  Bonaparte  has  intimated  her  inten- 
tion of  paying  a  visit  to  Paris;  she  is  now  in  Geneva. 
The  Duchesse  de  Courland  (Talleyrand's  niece)  has 
been  troubling  father  very  much  lately.  She  has  interest 
in  property  in  America  and  seems  to  think  it  is  his  place 
to  attend  to  it  for  her.  This  has  given  us  all  a  chance, 
mamma  in  particular,  as  the  Duchess  comes  to  see  him 
nearly  daily;  we  all  say  it  is  a  second  case  of  the  Queen 
of  Sweden  and  Monsieur  de  Richelieu.  I  really  think 
it  is  beginning  to  trouble  him,  as  he  has  a  horror  of  any 
scandal  being  attached  to  his  name.  Pozzo  di  Borgo 
strongly  advised  him  to  get  rid  of  her.  He  thinks 
anybody  who  has  any  connexion  with  Monsieur  de  Talley- 
rand dangerous.  He  has,  like  father,  supreme  contempt 
for  the  latter — calls  him  a  turncoat,  a  liar,  libertine,  &c.  &c. 
He  certainly  is  a  man  without  a  vestige  of  principle. 

JUNE 

Frances  is  now  seventeen  and  remarkably  pretty.  Had 
the  Court  not  been  in  mourning  she  would  have  made 
her  debut,  but  will  now  have  to  wait  until  next  year. 
I  think  mamma  is  very  glad,  as  she  dreads  having  to 
sit  up  so  late.  We  tell  her  she  is  very  lucky  only  to  have 
one  daughter — that  most  Englishwomen  have  eight  or 
ten. 

JUNE  6 

To-day  was  Louvel's  trial.  I  was  present.  There  were 
no  revelations  of  any  kind.  He  is  a  poor  lunatic.  He 
had  nursed  the  idea  he  must  kill  somebody  for  years. 
He  is  to  be  executed  to-morrow. 

JUNE  8 

I  now  deeply  regret  I  went  to  the  execution.  There 
was  a  large  body  of  troops  as  there  had  been  serious 
disturbance  in  the  night.  It  was  at  3  o'clock  in 
bright  June  sunshine,  which  made  it  all  the  more  horrible. 

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1820]       DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

I  never  could  imagine  human  beings  could  turn  into 
beasts;  a  French  mob  is  horrible.  One  now  realizes 
what  the  Terror  was.  The  wretched  assassin  was  half 
dead  before  he  was  dragged  up  the  steps  of  the  guillotine. 
It  was  all  over  in  a  moment.  I  had  to  go  and  drink 
some  brandy — a  thing  I  have  never  done  in  my  life 
before.  It  took  me  two  hours  to  get  out  of  the  howling 
crowd,  more  like  wild  animals  than  anything  else — the 
women  far  worse  than  the  men. 

JULY 

We  again  go  to  Geneva  for  two  months.     I  will  be  very 

glad  of  the  rest  and  quiet.     Of  course  father  has  had 

nothing  to  do.     The  affairs  of  the  Court,  with  all  the 

plots  and  counter-plots,  have  occupied  all  the  time  of  the 

Ministry. 

Madame  de  Courland  has  been  got  rid  of.     Father  has 

a   very   pale   face   and   white   hands;     Pozzo   di   Borgo 

hinted  to  her  that  he  had  leprosy.     She  wrote  begging 

father  not  even  to  write  to  her,  that  she  feared  she  had 

troubled  him  too  much,  &c.  &c.     Poor  Pozzo  passed  a 

bad  quarter  of  an  hour  with  mamma,  who  will  never 

forgive  him.     Father  was  much  amused. 

Monsieur  de  Chateaubriand  is  deeply  hurt  that  he  is 

not  in  the  Ministry;  neither  the  King  nor  Monsieur  de 

Richelieu  like  him.     We  leave  to-morrow  for  Geneva.  .  .  . 


164 


PART  IV 

THE  MINISTRY  IN  FRANCE 

FROM  THE  ASSASSINATION  OF  THE  DUG  DE  BERRI 
TO  THE  RETURN  OF  ALBERT  GALLATIN  TO  AMERICA 

SEPTEMBER  1S20-JUNE  1823 

SEPTEMBER  1820:  GENEVA 

Father  has  just  had  news  of  a  great  conspiracy.  Unfor- 
tunately Monsieur  de  Lafayette  is  mixed  up  in  it — in 
fact,  one  of  the  leaders;  others  are  the  Due  de  Rovigo, 
Monsieur  Lafitte,  General  Pajol,  and  a  host  of  others. 
There  is  to  be  a  trial  before  the  Court  of  Peers.  I  am 
glad  we  are  here,  as  if  we  had  been  in  Paris  it  would  have 
caused  father  great  worry.  He  has  a  very  deep  affection 
for  Monsieur  de  Lafayette. 

Madame  Patterson  Bonaparte  is  here.  She  is  much 
sought  after;  her  wit  and  beauty  seem  to  open  all  doors 
to  her.  She  is  very  bitter  at  the  present  moment  against 
Mrs.  Caton,  one  of  whose  daughters  married  Madame  B.'s 
brother  Robert  and  is  now  a  widow.  There  is  great 
scandal  about  her  and  the  Duke  of  Wellington.  He 
follows  her  everywhere;  in  fact,  it  is  an  open  secret 
that  she  is  his  mistress.  Mrs.  Caton  has  married  another 
of  her  daughters  to  a  Mr.  Harvey.  The  third  one  is 
very  beautiful,  and  the  mother  has  great  hopes  of  making 
a  fine  marriage  for  her.  Madame  Bonaparte  talks  of 
nothing  else  but  "Bo"  her  son,  and  his  marriage.  As 
he  is  now  only  a  fat  boy  it  is  a  little  premature. 

SEPTEMBER  28 

We  arrived  in  Paris  this  morning  to  find  the  city  in  a 
ferment  of  enthusiasm  on  account  of  the  birth  of  a  son 

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1820]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

to  the  Duchesse  de  Berri  yesterday.  It  was  really 
wonderful  to  see  the  change  in  everybody.  When  we 
left  in  May  all  was  dull  and  black;  now  everybody, 
even  the  streets,  are  radiant.  Cannon  are  booming; 
fireworks  at  night,  feu  de  joie,  and  goodness  knows  what. 
We  had  at  once  to  go  to  the  palace  pour  nous  inscrire. 
They  say  the  King  is  delighted. 

SEPTEMBER  29 

The  child  is  called  the  Due  de  Bordeaux.*  He  was 
privately  christened  at  once,  but  there  is  to  be  a  great 
public  christening  later  on. 

We  went  to-day  to  the  Palais  Royal.  It  did  not  strike 
me  that  the  Orleans  family  looked  or  seemed  particularly 
pleased.  The  two  daughters  of  "Mrs.  Brown"  were 
there;  they  are  treated  with  great  kindness  and  have 
been  given  titles.  "Mrs.  Brown"  has  been  given  a 
chateau  in  Brittany.  She  certainly  behaved  wonderfully 
well.  Her  marriage  in  England  was  quite  en  regie. 
Oddly  enough,  there  is  a  boy  as  well,  but  no  notice  has 
been  taken  of  him;  he  is  simply  called  "Thomas  Brown." 

OCTOBER 

It  has  been  the  most  extraordinary  trial  of  the  leaders 
of  the  conspiracy  of  August.  All  the  leaders  have 
escaped  free  and  only  some  most  unimportant  persons 
have  been  punished.  The  Due  de  Bassano  has  been 
allowed  to  return  to  France.  He  is  so  old  and  considered 
quite  harmless  now. 

NOVEMBER 

We  have  some  work  to  do,  as  Monsieur  de  Richelieu  has 
intimated  to  father  that  he  is  willing  to  open  negotiations 
re  the  Indemnity.  That  anything  will  really  be  done 

*  Henri-Charles-Ferdinand-Marie-Dieudonne'  d'Artois,  Due  de  Bor- 
deaux, born  September  28,  1820,  afterwards  known  as  the  Comte  de 
Chambord. 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1820 

I  strongly  doubt.  Mr.  Sheldon  has  gone  on  a  holiday, 
so  all  the  important  work  falls  on  my  shoulders.  Paris 
still  dull  as  far  as  Society  goes.  I  was  pointed  out  the 
Marquise  de  Guiccioli  yesterday,  Lord  Byron's  mistress; 
she  is  very  charming  to  look  at,  gentle  and  sweet. 
Of  course  the  one  topic  of  conversation  is  the  Duchesse 
de  Berri  and  her  son,  the  Due  de  Bordeaux — "  Esperance 
de  la  France"  as  he  is  called.  The  King  looks  much 
better,  is  far  more  cheerful.  There  are  some  unpleasant 
rumours  of  the  Due  d'Orleans  having  thrown  doubts  on 
the  legitimacy  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux,  but  I  believe  it 
is  without  question  of  a  doubt  that  he  is  the  son  of  the 
Due  de  Berri.  When  the  latter  was  dying  he  said  to  the 
King,  "Soigne  mafemme;  elle  est  enceinte" 
I  am  going  to  fetes  every  night  as  Paris  is  again  plunged 
into  wild  gaiety.  The  people  are  too  glad  of  an  excuse 
to  throw  off  the  mourning  and  gloom.  Frances  makes 
her  debut  at  the  first  Court.  I  have  been  telling  her 
how  to  behave.  She  has  a  dancing  mistress  to  teach 
her  how  to  curtsy  and  to  back  without  tumbling  over. 
The  christening  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux  was  a  splendid 
sight.  He  was  held  up  at  an  open  window  to  be  shown 
to  the  populace  and  was  received  with  roars  of  cheers. 
The  old  Duke  of  Gordon  was  present;  I  was  so  glad 
to  see  him.  I  had  a  little  love  affair  with  Katinka 
Galitzin.  Her  father  is  not  very  rich,  and  as  I  have 
nothing,  it  soon  came  to  an  end.  We  remain  the  best 
of  friends. 

Really  Mr.  Astor  is  dreadful.  Father  has  to  be  civil  to 
him,  as  in  1812-13  he  rendered  great  services  to  the 
Treasury.  He  came  to  dejeuner  to-day;  we  were  simply 
en  famille,  he  sitting  next  to  Frances.  He  actually  wiped 
his  fingers  on  the  sleeves  of  her  fresh  white  spencer. 
Mamma  in  discreet  tones  said,  "Oh,  Mr.  Astor,  I  must 
apologize;  they  have  forgotten  to  give  you  a  serviette." 
I  think  he  felt  foolish. 

A  splendid  Court  ball  last  night;  the  dresses  and  jewels 

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1820]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

of  the  ladies  and  the  superb  uniforms  of  the  men 
made  a  fine  show.  Father  looks  like  a  blot  of  ink 
amongst  all  this  finery.  Of  course  I  dress  as  I  like; 
we  have  no  official  diplomatic  uniform  in  America. 
Some  near-sighted  Hungarian  officer,  not  seeing  he 
was  in  front  of  the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme,  caught 
his  spur  in  the  lace  of  her  dress  and  tore  yards  of 
splendid  lace.  He  was  covered  with  confusion,  but  she 
was  so  gracious;  she  is  so  womanly.  I  do  not  think  I 
have  ever  seen  so  sad  a  face,  but  she  is  the  most  royal- 
looking  person  I  have  ever  seen;  the  "descendant  of  a 
hundred  kings"  certainly  applies  to  her.  I  noticed  her 
expression  of  intense  scorn  when  Prince  de  Talleyrand 
passed;  he  is  horrible. 

With  the  change  of  Ministry  after  the  disgrace,  or  at 
least  removal,  of  the  Due  de  Decazes,  Monsieur  de 
Richelieu  is  again  in  power.  Monsieur  de  Serre,  Minister 
of  Justice;  Pasquier,  Affaires  Etrangeres  (which  father 
much  regrets);  Latour  Maubourg,  Ministre  de  la  Guerre; 
Portal  Marine  and  Roy,  Ministre  des  Finances;  Baron 
Meunier,  Directeur  of  Police;  and  Monsieur  Simeon, 
Ministre  de  1'Interieur.  Father  thinks  it  a  very  weak 
Government — that  it  will  not  last  long.  .  .  . 

NOVEMBER 

The  Marquis  de  Lauriston,  a  descendant  of  Law,  the 
South  Sea  Bubble  adventurer,  is  appointed  Ministre  de  la 
Maison  du  Roi.  We  had  a  small  sauterie  for  Frances 
and  her  young  friend.  She's  now  seventeen.  It  was 
very  pretty;  all  the  young  girls  were  so  fresh  and  enjoyed 
everything  so  much  it  was  a  pleasure  to  watch  them. 
Dear  mamma  had  arranged  a  surprise  in  the  shape  of  a 
gift  hunt.  We  all  were  given  numbers  and  then  we  went 
into  the  gallery,  where  all  the  presents  were  hidden  in 
all  sorts  of  the  most  out-of-the-way  places.  I  helped  her 
to  arrange  it  with  the  invaluable  Berthal.  Each  had  a 
number  corresponding  with  tickets.  It  was  really  good 

168 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1820 

and  quite  delightful — such  laughter  and  little  suppressed 
shrieks  of  delight  when  the  parcel  with  the  corresponding 
number  was  discovered.  The  presents  were  so  pretty — 
a  donkey  with  a  wobbley  head  for  me  and  a  goose  full 
of  bon-bons  for  Frances.  We  both  agreed  it  was  too 
personal;  mamma  has  more"  wit  than  we  gave  her 
credit  for.  Father  came  in  with  dear  Pozzo  di  Borgo 
and  looked  on  at  the  "hunt,"  and  was  much  amused. 
Then  a  delightful  little  supper.  It  was  all  over  by  11 
o'clock.  Of  course  there  is  little  entertaining  on  a 
large  scale  on  account  of  the  Due  de  Bern's  death;  we 
of  the  corps  diplomatique  entertain  in  a  small  way.  The 
English  Ambassadress  has  sent  out  invitations  for  a 
party  for  very  young  people  for  Thursday;  it  is  to  be 
costume.  Frances  is  going  as  "Titania"  and  I  as 
the  ass.  I  have  had  a  wonderful  head  made  by  the 
costumier  of  the  opera;  it  is  all  of  silk  and  is  very  light — 
not  at  all  hot. 

The  little  bal  costume  was  a  great  success;  some  of  the 
dresses  were  beautiful.  Frances  was  as  pretty  as  any- 
body; she  has  that  lovely  skin  and  such  beautiful  eyes. 
Her  dress  was  all  clinging  white  silver  material,  and 
she  had  a  wreath  of  light  blue  cornflowers  in  her  hair, 
which  was  flowing  down  her  back.  Her  wand  was  a 
huge  sunflower.  Sosthene  de  la  Rochefoucauld,  with 
his  usual  cynical  manner,  came  up  to  me  and  said: 
"Tout  le  monde  te  reconnait;  tu  n'as  pas  pu  choisir  un 
costume  qui  t'ira  mieux."  I  will  be  even  with  him  yet. 
I  never  knew  a  man  who  fancied  himself  so  much;  he 
is  a  male  Madame  de  Boigne. 

We  had  a  Maypole  dance;  there  was  a  beautiful  "may- 
pole" decorated  with  flowers  and  ribbons.  After  this 
was  finished  we  all  (the  young  people)  filed  before  the 
Ambassador  and  Ambassadress  dancing  a  polonaise. 
We  arrived  home  at  midnight,  but  I  went  out  again. 
Father  has  enjoined  mamma  never  to  ask  me  any  ques- 
tions— very  wise,  I  think,  as  if  I  told  her  the  truth  she 

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1820]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

would  soon  be  in  her  grave,  with  her  strict  ideas.  Will  I 
ever  reform?  Paris  is  waking  up.  Pozzo  di  Borgo  is 
giving  a  sauterie  for  Frances.  He  sent  to  Russia  for  all 
sorts  of  beautiful  presents;  he  has  consulted  mamma 
about  some  original  way  of  distributing  them. 


NOVEMBER  20 

It  was  delightful  at  the  Russian  Embassy — all  very 
young  people.  After  supper  the  doors  of  the  ballroom 
were  thrown  open;  half-way  across  the  room  a  great 
rope  of  flowers  about  three  feet  from  the  ground,  at  the 
far  end  a  row  of  targets.  Silver  arrows  were  presented 
to  the  ladies  and  gold  ones  to  the  gentlemen;  we  had 
to  throw  them  at  the  targets.  If  we  hit  (I  am  sorry  to 
say  the  girls  often  missed),  Pozzo,  assisted  by  several 
ambassadors,  presented  us  with  the  most  beautiful 
Russian  bibelots,  much  too  fine.  I  had  a  beautiful  inlaid 
snuff-box;  Frances  a  complete  Russian  peasant  costume 
— the  head-dress  had  seed-pearls  and  turquoises  on  it. 
We  danced  all  sorts  of  pretty  dances,  ending  with  a 
Russian  mazurka  wrhich  twelve  of  us  had  learnt.  I  led 
off  with  Katinka  Galitzin.  It  was  really  extremely  pretty 
and  very  well  done.  We  had  straps  covered  with  gilt 
bells  on  our  ankles — that  is,  the  men;  the  girls  had  the 
same  on  their  wrists.  The  orchestra  as  a  finale  played 
all  the  different  national  airs.  "Yankee  Doodle" 
sounded  rather  tame  and  vulgar  after  the  grand  Russian 
Hymn  and  "God  save  the  King."  Oddly  enough,  "God 
save  the  King"  is  the  national  Hymn  of  Geneva;  it 
was  played  after  the  "Escalade"  in  1602.  The  name 
of  the  composer  is  not  known;  both  Lulli  and  Handel 
claimed  it,  but  that  is  absurd,  as  the  original  manuscript 
music  is  in  the  Arsenal  at  Geneva.  After  a  Russian 
punch  chaud,  which  Pozzo  insisted  upon  our  drinking, 
home  we  went.  I  was  very  tired. 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        (1820 

SUNDAY 

Frances  came  down  to  breakfast  this  morning  in  her 
Russian  costume.  Poor  mamma's  face  was  a  study  in 
religion.  She  could  not  utter  at  first,  so  father  stepped 
in  the  breach,  saying,  "How  lovely  you  look,  and  where 
did  all  this  finery  come  from?"  He  knew  nothing  of  it 
as  he  has  not  been  at  the  Embassy.  By  this  time  mamma 
had  recovered  her  speech.  I  saw  the  storm  coming. 
"Frances,  have  you  forgotten  that  it  is  the  Lord's  Day? 
Go  to  your  room  and  pray  for  forgiveness."  I  left  the 
room;  so  did  father. 


NOVEMBER  1820 

Dined  at  the  Spanish  Embassy.  The  Papal  nuncio  was 
present.  All  ladies  in  high  waists.  It  seems  it  is  not 
etiquette  for  ladies  to  be  decollete  when  he  is  present, 
excepting  at  Court.  Madame  S.  embarrasses  me  at  times; 
I  feel  hot  all  over,  as  I  am  quite  certain  people  must  see 
how  she  looks  at  me.  Mamma  was  very  fine  in  red 
velvet.  Her  skin  is  so  deadly  white  and  fine  that  she 
would  be  noticed  anywhere;  I  was  very  proud  of  her. 
After  the  nuncio  retired  some  Spanish  dances  were  danced 
beautifully.  Such  a  strange  custom !  When  the  nuncio 
arrived  he  was  preceded  by  two  footmen  walking  back- 
wards holding  silver  candelabra  with  lighted  candles; 
the  same  thing  was  repeated  when  he  retired.  I  noticed 
he  looked  astonished  when  mamma  did  not  kiss  his  ring. 
It  was  afterwards  explained  to  him  that  she  was  a 
Protestant.  Driving  home,  father  laughingly  teased  her 
about  it,  saying  she  should  have  done  so.  "No  such 
flummery  for  me,"  she  said.  We  found  Frances  had 
high  fever.  A  doctor  was  sent  for  and  fears  it  is  scarlet 
fever;  he  says  he  cannot  be  certain  until  to-morrow, 
as  there  is  no  rash  as  yet. 

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1820]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 
DECEMBER  2 

Poor  Frances  has  scarlet  fever  and  is  isolated  in  the  chalet 
in  the  garden.  Mamma  will  not  leave  her.  Father  had 
some  news  from  America  which  has  rather  annoyed  him. 
It  seems  some  ignorant  Yankee  called  attention  to  the  way 
he  was  living  in  Paris — that  his  house  was  too  large,  that 
his  servants  wore  showy  liveries,  &c.  &c.  Father  is 
simplicity  itself,  but  he  feels  he  ought  to  keep  up  a 
certain  style  in  a  country  where  such  things  are  so  much 
thought  of;  he  feels  it  is  due  to  the  prestige  of  the 
country  he  represents.  They  might  just  as  well  resent 
his  going  to  Court — it  is  quite  ridiculous.  Monsieur 
de  Lafayette  has  just  called;  he  consulted  him  on  the 
matter.  The  former  is  certainly  republican  enough  in 
all  his  ideas.  Father  has  penned  a  very  dignified  answer, 
which  I  have  just  drafted.  He  requests  to  be  recalled 
if  his  way  of  living  is  not  considered  proper,  but  that 
he  will  not  change  it  in  any  way.  He  and  I  are  dining 
with  the  Barings  to-day.  Of  course  mamma  had  to 
excuse  herself  on  account  of  Frances. 

DECEMBER  4 

We  had  a  charming  dinner  at  the  Barings'.  The  old 
Due  de  Bassano  was  present.  He  is  really  about  the 
only  respectable  person  that  Napoleon  created  a  duke, 
although  he  was  a  lawyer  or  hommes  d'affaires,  or  some- 
thing of  that  sort,  but  of  low  origin.  Poor  Frances  is 
better  as  it  is  a  mild  attack.  In  any  case  it  will  prevent 
her  from  going  to  any  of  the  Christmas  festivities.  Mamma 
feared  her  complexion  might  be  injured,  but  the  doctor 
assures  her  it  will  not  be  in  any  way  affected.  .  ,  . 

DECEMBER 

I  have  refused  all  invitations  for  the  present  as,  although 
Frances  is  still  isolated,  I  have  never  had  scarlet  fever 
myself.  The  doctor  thinks  I  had  better  remain  quiet 
for  a  few  days.  .  .  . 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1820 

DECEMBER  10 

I  had  a  piece  of  very  bad  luck  to-day.  A  certain  lady 
of  the  grand  monde  had  smiled  upon  me.  I  had  a  rendez- 
vous with  her  at  the  old  Palais  Royal  in  the  Marais  in 
the  afternoon.  It  is  the  most  unlikely  place  in  the  world 
to  meet  anybody.  I  know  of-  a  very  quiet  little  cafe 
there  with  cabinet  particulier;  as  we  walked  toward  it 
I  spied  a  lady  approaching  with  a  footman  behind  her. 
Horror  of  horrors  ! — mamma !  Now  if  it  had  been  the 
moon  arm-in-arm  with  the  sun  taking  a  walk  I  would 
not  have  been  more  flabbergasted,  but  it  was  mamma  in 
the  flesh.  Nothing  was  to  be  done  but  to  brazen  it  out. 
With  a  sickly  smile  and  a  grand  coup  de  chapeau  I 
approached  her,  instantly  saying,  "Allow  me  to  present 
you  to  the  Comtesse  de  C."  Mamma  stared,  mamma 
curtsied;  Madame  de  C.  did  the  same.  Mamma  curtsied 
again,  Madame  de  C.  ditto;  but  not  a  word  did  mamma 
utter.  I  own  I  was  rather  proud  of  her,  but  the  situation 
was  becoming  rather  strained.  I  said  to  Madame  de  C., 
"Comtesse,  will  you  allow  me  to  conduct  you  to  your 
coach  ?"  This  really  meant  a  fiacre,  as  Madame  de  C. 
had  left  her  coach  in  the  Rue  de  Rivoli.  Mamma  glared, 
curtsied  again;  finding  her  voice,  said,  "James,  return 
when  you  have  found  the  comtesse's  coach,"  with  an 
accent  grave  on  the  coach.  I  could  not  do  anything  else. 
When  I  did  return  mamma  took  my  arm  and  walked 
ten  times  around  the  Palais  Royal.  I  suppose  it  will 
mean  some  more  tracts  when  we  get  home.  It  seems 
the  poor  old  dear,  on  account  of  fear  of  infection  to 
others,  had  come  to  this  isolated  place  to  take  a  little 
exercise.  My  luck  is  on  the  wane. 

DECEMBER  12 

Not  a  word  have  I  heard  since  of  my  little  peccadillo. 
I  think  father  must  have  said  something,  for  I  am  certain 
she  told  him.  She  really  thinks  I  am  still  a  child,  for- 
getting I  am  three-and-twenty. 

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1821]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

DECEMBER  17 

Madame  de  C.  will  never  forgive  me;  she  is  furious. 

DECEMBER  20 

The  boulevards  are  so  brilliant  for  Noel,  I  walk  there 
every  evening. 

DECEMBER  26 

The  usual  Christmas  festivities,  but  I  have  become  very 
range,  so  remained  at  home.  All  my  friends  seem  to  be 
getting  married,  and  I  am  only  semi-attached. 

JANUARY  1,  1821 

Another  year  gone,  and  still  we  stop  on  here  practically 
doing  nothing.  Father  is  getting  old,  and  I  doubt  if  he 
will  ever  return  to  America.  Mr.  Astor  has  written  to 
him  again  making  new  offers,  all  of  which  he  has  refused. 
He  says  he  must  not  die  rich  after  holding  the  posts  he 
has.  I  have  never  known  of  anybody,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  Due  de  Richelieu,  who  is  so  absolutely  honest 
and  disinterested;  both  on  his  mission  to  the  Hague  and 
to  England  he  only  charged  his  absolute  out-of-pocket 
expenses.  Would  that  there  were  more  politicians  in 
America  of  his  calibre !  I  fear  there  are  few,  if  any.  It 
is  not  astonishing  he  has  so  many  firm  friends  such  as 
Alexander  Baring,  Pozzo  di  Borgo,  Lafayette,  and  the 
Humboldts — men  whose  friendship  is  worth  having.  I 
only  wish  I  were  more  like  him. 

MONDAY 

I  had  a  bad  accident  skating  at  Vincennes  on  Saturday 
and  broke  my  arm — fortunately  the  left  one.  Had  it 
been  my  right  arm  I  do  not  know  what  I  should  have 
done.  It  caused  me  great  pain;  the  bone-setter  was 
very  rough.  To  add  to  my  troubles,  my  hair  is  beginning 
to  fall  out.  This  was  caused  by  the  fever  I  contracted 

174 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1821 

that  horrible  winter  at  St.  Petersburg.  One  consolation — 
I  can  always  wear  a  wig. 

FEBRUARY  2 

I  had  a  horrid  accident  on  Saturday.  I  was  driving  a 
new  horse  in  my  cabriolet  with  Lucien  up  behind.  Coming 
down  the  Elysees  I  spied  the  King's  coach  driven  at  the 
usual  high  speed,  which  makes  a  rumbling.  As  etiquette 
requires,  I  drew  up  at  the  side,  and  was  holding  my  hat 
off  when  my  horse  shied  and  over  we  went.  Of  course, 
I  fell  on  my  injured  arm,  which  has  always  given  me 
trouble;  it  was  badly  set  at  first — in  fact,  it  had  to  be 
broken  again  and  set,  causing  me  great  uneasiness.  The 
Comtesse  de  Brissac  was  passing  in  her  coach;  she 
stopped  and  most  kindly  insisted  on  conveying  me  to 
her  hotel  in  the  Faubourg  St.-Honore,  which  is  quite 
close.  She  sent  for  a  surgeon,  and,  much  to  my  chagrin, 
he  announced  another  slight  fracture.  After  attending 
to  me,  Madame  de  B.  most  graciously  put  her  coach  at 
my  disposal  to  take  me  home.  She  is  forty  but  still 
very  handsome.  She  held  my  right  hand  while  the 
surgeon  was  binding  my  arm;  I  think  she  squeezed  it. 
Nous  verrons.  Lucien  and  the  horse  were  not  injured 
but  the  cabriolet  was  damaged. 

This  morning  I  was  sitting  in  mamma's  boudoir  reading, 
as  my  arm  was  so  painful  I  could  not  write.  Frances 
was  embroidering  and  mamma  going  through  her  religious 
devotions,  which  consists  of  reading  a  sermon  of  Jeremy 
Bentham's,  her  daily  allowance.  A  footman  hurriedly 
entered  without  knocking — a  venial  offence.  He  looked 
white  and  scared,  and  mumbled,  "Would  Madame 
1'Ambassadress  permit  Madame  Berthal  to  speak  to  her?" 
Enter  Madame  Berthal,  very  red  and  flurried,  her  very 
cap  quivering  with  excitement.  Approaching  mamma, 
in  a  low  tone  she  said,  "Madame  P  Ambassadress,  there 
has  been  an  accident.  Louise  (one  of  the  kitchen  wenches) 
has  tripped  over  the  cat  on  the  lower  stairs,  and  there  are 

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1821]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

two."  "Two  what?"  asked  mamma.  "Twins," 
replied  Madame  Berthal.  "  What  nonsense ! "  said 
mamma.  "Is  the  girl  injured?  It  does  not  matter 
about  the  kittens;  drown  them."  "Not  kittens,  Madame 
I'Ambassadress,  babies."  Never  will  I  forget  mamma's 
face.  Down  went  Jeremy  Bentham  bang  on  the  floor. 
Up  rose  mamma,  her  cap  literally  standing  on  end.  She 
thundered,  "Frances,  leave  the  room."  I  could  no 
longer  contain  myself  and  burst  into  roars  of  laughter. 
This  was  too  much  for  mamma.  "James,  I  am  ashamed 
of  you.  Leave  the  room  at  once."  I  really  expected  to 
receive  Jeremy  on  my  head  before  reaching  the  door. 
Only  too  glad  to  escape,  I  sought  refuge  in  father's  room. 
When  I  succeeded  in  suppressing  my  laughter  I  com- 
menced telling  him  what  had  happened.  I  had  only 
commenced  my  story  when  he  was  summoned  to  mamma's 
room.  When  he  returned  he  tried  to  look  serious,  but 
I  saw  the  corners  of  his  mouth  twitching.  Poor  Berthal 
mamma  has  dismissed  for  her  want  of  discretion.  Father 
sent  to  the  Convent  of  the  Sacre  Coeur,  which  is  quite 
close  to  us,  and  obtained  permission  to  send  the  poor 
girl  and  her  twins  to  the  hospital  there.  He  sent  for  a 
coach  and  had  her  conveyed  there.  What  passed 
between  him  and  mamma  I  do  not  know,  but  she  locked 
herself  in  the  room  for  the  remainder  of  the  day.  Frances 
asked  me  this  evening  if  I  thought  she  could  have  one 
of  the  kittens.  I  told  her  they  were  drowned !  !  ! 
The  twins  died  last  night.  .  .  . 
My  arm  is  so  painful  I  cannot  write  any  more.  .  .  . 
Mamma  has  forgiven  me.  Jean,  such  a  nice-looking 
groom,  is  the  cause  of  all  the  trouble.  He  is  going  to 
marry  the  girl  as  soon  as  she  is  well.  Father  insists 
on  retaining  them  both  in  his  service.  Mamma  looks 
injured  and  draws  deep  sighs.  Poor  Berthal  has  been 
reinstated;  father  insisted  upon  it. 


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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1821 

FEBRUARY  12 

There  have  been  more  bomb  explosions  and  the  police 
have  not  the  slightest  clue.  On  January  27  a  bomb  in 
the  Tuilleries — nobody  injured.  On  the  31st  another  at 
the  Treasury,  several  near  the  palace  windows;  still  not 
the  faintest  clue.  Scenes  every  day  in  the  Chamber,  one 
party  accusing  the  other.  Then  a  lull  for  a  time. 

FEBRUARY  15 

I  do  not  feel  well  enough  to  join  in  the  Carnival  this  year. 
The  fact  is,  I  have  had  enough  of  it  all.  I  am  now  nearly 
four-and-twenty,  and  it  is  high  time  to  settle  down. 
Frances  is  to  make  her  debut  this  year  but  not  until 
the  spring. 

FEBRUARY  17 

Such  a  magnificent  ball  at  the  Tuilleries  last  night. 
The  Duchesse  d'Angouleme  was  superbly  regal:  her 
train  of  white  velvet  thickly  embroidered  with  gold 
fleurs-de-lis  with  a  broad  gold  border,  lined  and  faced 
with  ermine;  her  dress  entirely  of  superb  lace,  which 
they  told  me  had  belonged  to  her  mother;  the  highest 
diadem  of  emeralds  and  diamonds  that  I  have  ever  seen, 
it  was  quite  four  inches.  A  veil  of  superb  lace  hung 
down  below  her  shoulders;  a  belt  and  stomacher  of 
diamonds  and  one  enormous  emerald  in  the  centre; 
from  the  shoulders  hung  great  strings  of  diamonds. 
The  Duchess  d'Orleans  in  rose-coloured  velvet;  Mile 
d'Orleans  in  blue;  the  Duchesse  de  Berri  in  white  with 
a  train  bordered  with  sable  (this  was  her  first  appearance 
since  her  husband's  assassination).  They  made  a  truly 
royal  group.  The  poor  King  was  in  a  chair  with  wheels, 
as  he  suffers  from  swollen  legs. 

FEBRUARY  20 

At  last  I  have  had  a  bilious  attack.  Mamma  is  in  her 
element;  she  loves  to  say  "I  told  you  so."  Now,  when 

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1821]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

one  is  bilious  one  is  not  in  the  best  of  tempers;  I  do  so 
long  to  throw  a  boot  at  her. 

FEBRUARY  22 

All  right  again  and  taking  Frances  to  some  small  evening 
parties.  She  has  not  been  brought  up  in  the  French 
way;  mamma  allows  her  much  more  liberty.  Frances 
can  take  care  of  herself;  she  has  great  dignity  combined 
with  sweetness,  and  under  it  all — what  shall  I  call  it  ? — a 
will  of  her  own.  She  is  very  lovely  to  look  at. 

FEBRUARY  24 

Now  Lent  has  come — a  respite  for  which  I  am  very 
grateful.  I  am  going  to  do  some  serious  reading  and 
improve  myself;  I  fear  I  have  been  very  frivolous  up 
to  the  present.  Mathieu  de  Montmorency  has  invited 
me  to  hunt  at  Compiegne,  of  which  he  is  governor;  I 
shall  certainly  avail  myself  of  his  kindness.  If  it  were 
not  that  the  King's  horses  were  at  his  disposal  and  he 
offered  to  mount  me,  I  would  not  be  able  to  do  so  on 
account  of  the  expense. 

MARCH  2 

I  took  Frances  to  the  Palais  Royal  yesterday  afternoon 
to  see  a  little  religious  play  acted  by  the  children  of  the 
Due  d'Orleans.  The  Due  de  Chartres*  is  now  nearly 
twelve  years  old,  and  Mile  d'Orleans  is  nine.  Some  of 
the  younger  children  also  took  part.  The  other  actors 
were  children  of  the  Due  d'Escar  and  the  Montmorency 
children.  It  was  really  very  pretty.  After  the  little 
play  all  the  children  sat  down  to  a  simple  dinner;  we 
waited  on  them.  Their  aunt,  Mile  d'Orleans,  is  so 
charming,  so  simple  and  unaffected.  She  is  very  fond 
of  father;  I  think  it  is  that  attracts  me  to  her. 

*Duc  de  Charlie's,  son  of   the  Due  d'Orleans,  born  at   Palermo 
September  3,  1810. 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1821 

MARCH  4 

Father  has  had  some  disquieting  letters  from  America 
about  Albert.  He  has  not  shown  them  to  me,  nor  has 
he  told  me  of  their  contents,  but  I  fear  there  is  some 
trouble;  Albert  is  so  odd.  I  am  very  sorry,  as  I  dislike 
to  see  father  troubled. 

MARCH  7 

Madame  Patterson  Bonaparte  has  been  much  disappointed 
that  she  has  not  been  able  to  arrange  a  marriage  for  her 
"Bo,"  whom  she  considers  a  prince  of  the  House  of  the 
now  fallen  Bonapartes.  Mr.  Astor,  in  whom  she  has  great 
confidence,  and  who  has  been  in  Rome,  has  informed 
her  that  she  must  not  put  any  reliance  in  any  members  of 
the  Bonaparte  family.  Madame  mere  is  the  most  sincere 
and  the  Princesse  Pauline  Borghesi  is  absolutely  unre- 
liable. Her  friend,  Lady  Morgan,  is  also  in  Rome,  and 
told  her  the  same  thing.  She  has  written  volumes  to 
father  asking  his  advice.  She  is  really  too  bad,  as  she 
is  certain  not  to  act  by  it.  He  has  a  great  dislike  for 
the  Bonaparte  family;  of  course  the  great  brains  and 
pluck  of  the  first  emperor  he  cannot  but  have  admiration 
for. 

MARCH  9:  COMPIEGNE 

I  have  been  here  since  yesterday,  and  finely  lodged  in  the 
chateau.  All  are  most  civil  and  nice  to  me.  We  hunted 
all  day  to-day  and  I  am  tired  out.  Just  going  to  bed. 

MARCH  12 

I  came  back  to  Paris  yesterday  after  a  most  enjoyable 
visit.  I  am  a  little  sorry  I  went  for  so  long.  I  find  father 
has  been  doing  the  copying  of  his  own  private  letters  and 
dispatches,  which  he  will  not  allow  any  one  to  do  with 
the  exception  of  myself.  We  dine  with  the  Due  and 
Duchesse  de  Lavalle.  I  have  never  seen  their  hotel, 
but  father  tells  me  it  is  the  finest  in  Paris. 

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1821]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

MARCH  14 

A  most  painful  disclosure  has  been  made.  It  seems 
the  Duchesse  de  Berri  told  her  Father-confessor  that 
she  was  the  instigator  of  all  the  bomb  explosions,  which 
were  placed  by  her  own  people.  He  made  her  tell  all 
this  to  the  King.  All  the  King  said  was,  "Stop  all 
further  inquiry  and  try  to  forgive  her."  She  is  an 
Italian  and  a  lover  of  intrigue.  All  this  has  made  a  most 
painful  impression. 


MARCH  16,  1821 

I  really  do  not  know  how  it  will  end.  Yesterday  I  was 
dining  tete-a-tete  with  Madame  S. — her  husband  being 
away,  as  she  thought.  Fortunately,  she  has  a  most 
discreet  maid.  She,  hearing  Monsieur  S.'s  carriage  in 
the  courtyard,  rushed  and  warned  us.  I  was  just  able 
to  escape  down  the  escalier  de  service.  I  went  to  the 
opera,  and  I  suppose  after  the  fright  I  had  had  nothing 
amused  me,  so  I  returned  home.  I  am  glad  I  did,  as 
I  found  the  house  in  an  uproar.  Poor  Berthal  had  fallen 
down  the  whole  flight  of  marble  stairs.  Frances  says 
she  is  broken  to  bits.  All  I  could  see  of  her  was  her 
cap,  which  had  at  last  fallen  off  and  was  sitting  quietly 
on  a  hall  chair.  There  is  a  surgeon  and  two  doctors 
with  her  now.  Of  course  mamma  is  very  much  worried; 
but  this  did  not  prevent  her  forbidding  a  priest  to  enter 
whom  one  of  the  servants  had  sent  for. 


MARCH  19 

I  forgot  to  write  about  the  Lavalle  dinner.  It  was  abso- 
lutely superb — on  a  scale  of  magnificence  quite  equal  to 
a  Court  entertainment.  We  sat  down  eighty  at  table, 
and  the  banquet  lasted  for  four  mortal  hours.  I  counted 
thirty  footmen.  The  Duchess  was  a  very  great  heiress 
and  the  Duke  was  also  very  rich. 

180 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1821 

MARCH  21 

I  drove  to  St.-Cloud  to-day  in  my  curricle.  It  is  begin- 
ning to  rattle  a  bit.  If  we  stop  here  much  longer  I 
must  have  a  new  one.  Poor  Mrs.  P.,  of  "Bologny" 
fame,  died  to-day.  Mr.  Livingstone  returns  from  a  very 
extensive  tour  and  leaves  for  America  at  once. 

MARCH  25 

There  is  every  prospect  now  of  father  either  going  home 
or  going  to  London.  The  latter  mamma  would  prefer, 
as  she  has  now  become  quite  reconciled  to  living  abroad; 
in  fact,  I  do  not  think  she  would  care  to  return  home  at 
present.  Father  does  not  like  London.  He  had  a  long 
conference  with  Pozzo  di  Borgo  to-day.  They  are  such 
close  friends,  and  he  thinks  very  highly  of  Pozzo's  opinion. 
Lafayette  dined  here  yesterday;  he  has  aged  con- 
siderably, but  is  always  delightful.  Father  fears  as  he 
gets  older  he  will  be  even  more  indiscreet  than  in  his 
youth,  or  indeed  more  impulsive. 

MARCH  29 

Some  very  disagreeable  communications  from  Mr.  Adams 
to-day.  I  really  think  he,  being  now  Secretary  of  State, 
is  paying  father  up  for  imaginary  wrongs  when  at  Ghent. 
When  I  look  back  upon  that  time  I  am  amazed  that 
father  bore  so  well  with  him  and  Mr.  Clay;  they  were 
quarrelling  like  two  spoiled  children  all  the  time.  Father 
did  all  he  could  to  restore  peace  between  them,  but  it 
was  of  daily  occurrence  and  most  trying.  *  I  sometimes 
think  we  may  return  to  live  in  Geneva  and  abandon 
America  altogether.  I,  personally,  would  be  delighted, 
but  I  fear  we  are  not  rich  enough  to  do  this.  I  must 
make  some  money;  I  cannot  always  be  a  drag  on  father. 

APRIL  1 

There  is  a  smell  of  spring  in  the  air  to-day.  Frances 
tried  to  fool  me  to-day,  sending  me  a  letter  challenging 

181 


1821]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

me  to  a  duel.  I  recognized  her  handwriting  at  once. 
I  did  not  say  a  word  about  it.  She  has  been  worrying 
mamma  for  a  long  time  to  buy  her  a  spencer  at  Madame 
Le  Vestris'  in  the  Rue  de  la  Paix;  I  have  heard  of 
nothing  else  for  weeks.  So  off  to  Madame  L.  I  went. 
Made  her  do  me  up  a  box  with  large  gold  letters  with 
her  address  on  it.  I  bought  a  murderous-looking  fish 
and  wrapped  it  in  many  papers.  Imitating  mamma's 
handwriting,  I  put  a  little  note  on  top  of  the  silk  paper 
that  she  would  see  the  moment  the  cover  was  lifted. 
I  timed  the  box  to  arrive  while  we  were  at  dinner.  Great 
success.  Frances  opened  the  box.  Only  seeing  the  note, 
she  rushed  and  hugged  mamma,  who  I  must  say  looked 
rather  astonished.  Rushing  back  to  unpack  her  coveted 
spencer,  as  she  thought,  the  smell  of  fish  met  her  nose. 
With  a  squeak  (women  always  squeak)  she  seized  the 
fish  and  made  a  dash  for  me,  but  was  too  late.  I  was 
out  of  the  window  into  the  garden,  the  fish  after  me. 
A  long  list  of  diplomatic  dinners  to  be  got  through.  We 
are  engaged  for  every  day  for  two  weeks.  Father  hates 
all  this  but  is  forced  to  accept.  Mamma  now,  I  think, 
loves  these  entertainments.  She,  like  all  women,  loves 
dress.  This  gives  her  an  opportunity  to  show  off  her 
finery. 

APRIL  6 

There  were  serious  disturbances  last  evening  at  the 
Ecole  de  Droits  de  Paris;  some  rioting.  The  troops 
had  to  be  called  out.  What  a  mistake  it  is  to  be  dragged 
into  a  liaison,  particularly  with  a  married  woman !  If 
something  does  not  happen  I  shall  not  have  a  hair  on 
my  head. 

APRIL  9 

Since  the  death  of  the  Due  de  Berri  a  great  change  has 
certainly  come  over  the  jeunesse  doree  of  Paris;  not 
half  so  much  entrain.  I  think  he  really  gave  the  impetus 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1821 

to  us  all.  I  dined  yesterday  at  the  Trois  Freres  Proven- 
ceaux*in  the  Palais  Royal  with  some  boon  companions. 
I  do  not  know  how  it  was,  the  dinner  was  excellent,  the 
wine  as  well,  but  we  all  seemed  dull  and  depressed.  I 
hardly  dare  own  it,  but  I  fear  we  are  all  blase.  I  com- 
menced a  little  too  young  to  enjoy  life.  I  have  had  a 
good  seven  years  of  it;  and  what  I  used  to  look  on  then 
as  the  height  of  enjoyment  I  now  find  tiresome.  I  try 
to  take  interest  in  the  political  questions  of  the  day. 
I  read  most  carefully  all  the  English  as  well  as  American 
papers  that  we  receive  and  try  to  keep  myself  au  courant 
of  everything  of  importance.  I  believe  one  can  train 
one's  mind  to  serious  matters.  I  certainly  have  wasted 
a  lot  of  time. 

APRIL  10 

Have  been  taking  Frances  to  see  all  the  fine  churches; 

I  don't  think  she  cares  much  about  it. 

APRIL  12 

Father  has  presented  me  with  a  new  curricle;  it  is 
painted  yellow,  which  is  much  the  vogue  at  present.  .  .  . 

APRIL  15 

We  are  eating  through  our  dinners.  Oh,  the  bore  of  it 
all! 

APRIL  20 

A  fine  entertainment  at  Versailles  with  some  Russian 
Grand  Dukes.  The  King  was  not  able  to  be  present 
and  Monsieur  did  the  honours.  The  fountains  were  all 
playing.  A  splendid  banquet.  Looking  out  of  one  of 
the  windows  looking  on  the  Cours  d'Honneur,  the  whole 
scene  seemed  to  be  conjured  up  before  me:  the  dames 
de  la  halle  more  like  wild  beasts,  then  women  shouting 
and  screaming,  then  dragging  the  coach  with  the  unfor- 
*  A  restaurant  only  recently  demolished. 
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1821]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

ttmate  King  and  Queen  in  it.  As  I  was  meditating  on 
all  this  I  felt  a  hand  on  my  shoulder;  it  was  the  dear 
old  Duke  of  Gordon.  He  said,  "A  penny  for  your 
thoughts."  I  blurted  out  exactly  what  had  been  passing 
through  my  mind.  He  then,  really  with  much  emotion, 
described  the  whole  scene  most  vividly  to  me;  pointed 
out  exactly  where  he  stood,  the  immense  scorn  and 
dignity  of  Marie  Antoinette  as  she  entered  the  coach, 
the  horrible  drive  back  to  Paris.  He  said  he  did  all  he 
could,  but  he  was  absolutely  powerless  in  the  hands  of 
the  frenzied  mob.  He  slipped  his  arm  through  mine 
saying,  "It  is  better  to  try  and  bury  unpleasant 
memories."  We  joined  the  Court  in  the  Salle  des  Glaces. 

APRIL  21 

Father  took  me  to-day  to  see  Madame  Condorcet,  the 
widow  of  the  Marquis  Condorcet,  the  friend  of  Voltaire. 
She  is  only  fifty-three  but  looks  much  older — one  of  the 
saddest  faces  I  have  ever  seen.  She  welcomed  us  with 
effusion,  taking  both  father's  hands,  holding  them,  and 
saying,  "You  knew  my  husband."  She  was  a  Mile 
de  Grouchy.  It  seems  they  were  an  ideal  couple.  Her 
perfect  character  made  Condorcet  a  believer  in  equal 
rights  for  women.  Her  only  child  is  Madame  O'Connor, 
the  wife  of  General  O'Connor. 

MAY  3 

Mr.  Adams  has  been  playing  more  of  what  I  call  "  Yankee 
tricks";  he  certainly  is  an  impossible  person.  He  is 
not  a  man  of  great  force  or  intelligence,  but  his  own 
opinion  of  himself  is  immense.  I  really  think  father, 
in  a  covert  way,  pulls  his  leg.  I  know  he  thinks  little 
of  his  talents  and  less  of  his  manners. 

MAY  21 

Frances  is  greatly  excited  as  the  time  approaches  for  her 
to  make  her  debut  at  Court.  She  came  to  me  in  rather 

184 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1821 

a  mysterious  manner  to-day  and  began  to  make  much 
of  me.  I  suspected  there  was  something  at  the  bottom 
of  it,  so  said  to  her,  "Out  with  it;  what  is  it  you  want?" 
She  is  a  little  afraid  of  mamma.  She  wants  me  to 
persuade  the  latter  to  let  her  have  a  more  elegant  frock 
for  Court.  I  promised  to  do  -my  best. 

MAY  22 

Mamma  is  adamant.  Frances  is  to  wear  what  she 
decrees.  Simplicity  above  all  things.  For  a  wonder, 
I  quite  agree  with  mamma.  Frances  is  quite  pretty 
enough  and  she  needs  but  a  very  simple  setting.  I  told 
her  this  and  consoled  her  with  a  little  judicious  flattery 
about  her  skin,  eyes,  hair,  &c.  &c.  She  is  but  a  woman. 

MAY  24 

The  brothers  Humboldt  were  at  dejeuner  to-day.  For- 
merly I  did  not  take  any  interest  in  their  conversation, 
but  it  was  quite  different  to-day.  I  was  sorry  when 
they  retired.  Father  delights  in  their  society.  They 
certainly  seem  to  appreciate  him;  for  this  I  love  them. 

JUNE  2 

Frances  made  her  debut  at  Court  last  night.  She  cer- 
tainly did  look  very  lovely.  All  I  know  of  her  dress — 
she  was  in  white,  a  great  big  wreath  of  pink  roses  round 
her  head.  She  was  quite  self-possessed  and  bore  herself 
with  much  dignity.  All  the  members  of  the  Royal  Family 
smiled  on  her.  Driving  home  she  burst  into  sobs.  Poor 
child,  I  suppose  it  was  the  pent-up  excitement. 

JUNE  10 

I  have  suffered  a  great  deal  lately  with  my  arm;  I  fear 
it  will  be  permanently  stiff — I  can  hardly  raise  it  now. 
I  hope  father  will  decide  on  Aix-en-Savoi,  as  I  will  then 
be  able  to  go  in  for  the  cure.  I  am  afraid  rheumatism 
has  settled  in  my  arm. 

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1821]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 
JUNE  15 

So  little  of  interest  to  record  in  my  journal  at  present. 
I  seem  now  to  think  that  the  everyday  occurrences  of 
"the  monde"  are  not  worth  recording.  Of  course, 
anything  of  importance  that  I  want  to  remember  I 
make  notes  of.  If  father  should  ever  get  hold  of  this 
diary  I  wonder  what  he  will  think  of  it.  Mamma  asked 
me  to-day  if  I  thought  he  was  worrying  about  Albert. 
She  does  not  think  he  at  all  approves  of  the  life  the  latter 
is  leading.  He  does  not  seem  to  care  for  people  of  his 
own  class — only  farmers  and  their  families. 

JUNE  30 

There  have  been  rumours  that  the  Emperor  is  ill  at 

St.  Helena.     Nothing  confirmed. 

JULY  10 

The  news  has  just  arrived  of  the  death  of  Napoleon. 
He  died  on  May  5.  I  was  much  astonished  at  the  way 
the  news  was  received.  The  hero  which  the  whole 
French  nation  had  worshipped,  whom  all  Europe  had 
trembled  before,  it  might  have  been  an  ordinary  actor 
who  had  died.  Really  one  could  feel  great  disgust. 
A  mighty  man  indeed  he  was  with  all  his  faults.  The 
first  I  heard  of  it  was  cried  about  the  streets:  "La 
Mort  de  Napoleon  a  St.  Helena,  deux  sous."  Oh,  the 
irony  of  it ! 

JULY  15 

The  Bonapartists  here  show  the  greatest  respect  to  the 
Emperor.  They  have  petitioned  the  King  to  allow  the 
body  to  be  brought  to  France  and  buried,  but  he  will 
not  hear  of  it.  Father  says  it  would  be  most  unwise — 
that  France  is  beginning  to  settle  down  after  all  the 
troubles  she  has  gone  through;  that  even  the  Emperor's 
body  will  excite  enthusiasm  in  many  and  might  lead 
to  very  serious  results.  Father  received  several  letters 

186 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1821 

asking  if  he  thought  America  would  join  in  petitioning 
the  King.  It  is  really  too  absurd.  What  has  America 
to  do  with  it?  Madame  Patterson  Bonaparte,  won- 
derful to  relate,  has  written  to  father  full  of  praise  of 
the  dead  Emperor. 

- 

JULY  18 

An  extraordinary  thing  has  happened.  Father  wished 
for  a  document,  and  applied  for  it  to  the  Due  de  Bassano; 
the  latter  has  all  the  copies  of  the  archives  of  the  Emperor. 
A  document  was  sent,  but  not  the  one  applied  for;  it 
was  a  copy  of  a  Trianon  Decree  of  August  5,  1810.  This 
decree  was  entirely  withheld  from  the  American  Minister. 
Had  it  been  known  there  would  not  have  been  any  war 
between  England  and  America.  It  bears  the  same  date 
of  the  Berlin  and  Milan  decrees,  which  were  to  be  revoked 
on  November  1.  Never  before  have  I  seen  my  father 
so  angry;  he  absolutely  lost  control  of  himself  and  used 
the  strongest  language.  The  underhand  meanness,  the 
perfidy,  injustice,  so  low  and  despicable.  It  was  the 
Emperor's  wish,  evidently,  to  do  all  in  his  power  to 
crush  a  young  and  rising  nation.  Father  went  at  once 
to  see  the  Due  de  Bassano,  but  on  arriving  there  he 
could  hardly  say  anything,  he  found  the  poor  old  Duke 
utterly  crushed  by  the  death  of  the  Emperor.  He 
evidently  knew  nothing  of  his  mistake,  so  father  did  not 
undeceive  him.  He  sent  a  copy  of  the  decree  to  Mr. 
Adams  with  very  strong  remarks  on  the  subject. 

GALLATIN  to  J.  Q.  ADAMS 

PARIS,  September  15,  1821 

SIR, 

[First  part  of  letter  omitted.] 

But  the  Trianon  Decree  was  intended  for  the 
St.  Sebastian,  Amsterdam,  and  other  cases  of  the  same 
period.  It  is  not  a  condemnation  either  in  form  or  in 
substance,  but  it  certainly  announces  the  intention  to 

187 


1821]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

condemn.  It  bears  date  the  same  day  on  which  it  was 
officially  communicated  to  our  Minister  that  the  Berlin 
and  Milan  decrees  would  be  revoked  on  the  first  day  of 
the  ensuing  November;  and  no  one  can  suppose  that 
if  it  had  been  communicated  or  published  at  the  same 
time  the  United  States  would,  with  respect  to  the  promised 
revocation  of  the  Berlin  and  Milan  decrees,  have  taken 
that  ground  which  ultimately  led  to  the  war  with  Great 
Britain.  It  is  indeed  unnecessary  to  comment  on  such 
a  glaring  act  of  combined  injustice,  bad  faith,  and  mean- 
ness as  the  enacting  and  concealment  of  that  decree 
exhibits;  and  I  cannot  suppose  that  it  will  ever  be 
brought  forward  by  this  Government  for  the  purpose 
of  repelling  our  claims  to  indemnity,  especially  as  the 
grounds  assumed  for  the  measure  are  evidently  mere 
pretences  and  altogether  untenable.  Yet  when  I  first 
conversed,  in  1816,  with  the  Due  de  Richelieu  on  the 
subject  of  our  claims,  he  alluded  to  a  statement  prepared 
in  his  bureau  for  him,  in  which  the  Act  of  Congress  of 
March  1809  was  mentioned  as  having  afforded  cause  for 
reprisals. 

The  copy  of  the  Trianon  Decree  was  given  to  a  friend 
of  Mr.  Parish  by  the  Duke  of  Bassano,  then  Secretary 
of  the  Council. 

I  enclose  a  Greek  copy  and  a  French  translation  of  an 
appeal  of  the  Greeks  to  the  citizens  of  the  United  States. 
I  have  the  honour,  &c., 

ALBERT  GALLATIN 

DECISION  DU  5  AOUT  1810* 

Vu  le  rapport  ci-dessus  fait  au  conseil  de  commerce 
et  des  manufactures,  d'ou  il  resulte: 

(1)  Que  le   Gouvernement   de   Etats-Unis  ne  s'est  pas 

borne  par  son  acte  du  ler  mars,  1809,  a  ordonner  qu'a 

dater  du   20   mai  suivant  les   'bailments  et   marchandises 

francaises    qui    entreraient    dans    les    ports    seraient    mis 

*  For  translation  see  Appendix  III. 

188 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1821 

sous  le  sequestre,  mais  qu'il  a  ordonne  la  confiscation  des 
dits  bailments  et  marchandises: 

(2)  Qu'il  a  etabli  par  le  meme  acte  que  lorsque  les  com- 
munications avec  le  France  viendraient  a  se  retablir,  les 
confiscations  continueraient  a  avoir  leur  effet: 

(3)  Que  I'acte  du  ler  mars,  1809,  a  ete  mis  en  execution 
toutes  les  fois  que  I'occasion  s'en  est  presentee,  nonseule- 
ment  contre  les  marchandises,  mais  aussi  contre  les  bail- 
ments francais: 

Nous  awns  ordonne  et  ordonnons  ce  qui  suit 

(1)  Les  fonds  provenants  des  ventes  des  marchandises 
americaines  qui  ont  ete  effectuees  jusqu'a  ce  jour,  et  dont 
le  montant  avait  ete  mis  en  depot  a  la  caisse  d'amortisse- 
ment,  seront  transposes  au  tresor  public. 

(2)  Les   marchandises   americaines   qui  sont   mis  sous 
le  sequestre  seront  mises  en  vente,  et  les  fonds  en  provenants 
verses  au  tresor  public. 

(3)  Les    bdtiments    americains   sur   le   soil   desquels   il 
n'avait  point  ete  statue  jusqu'a  ce  jour,  seront  egalement 
mis  en  vente  et  les  fonds  en  provenants  verses  au  tresor 
public. 

(4)  Attendu    que   I' acte    des    Etats-Unis  du   ler   mars, 
1809,  ne  contient  aucune  disposition  contre  les  equipages 
de  nos  bdtiments,  voulant  toujours  traiter  les  Etats-Unis 
aussi  favorablement    qu'il    est    possible,    et    n'usant    qu'a 
regret  du  droit  de  represaille  a  leur  egard,  nous  entendons 
que   les   equipages  des   bdtiments   americains   entres   dans 
nos  ports  ne  soient  point  consideres  comme  prisonniers, 
mais  soient  envoyes  dans  leur  patrie. 

(5)  Les  dispositions  ci-dessus  seront  executees  a  I'egard 
de  tous  les  bdtiments  americains  entres  et  sequestres  dans 
nos  ports  depuis  le  20  mars  1809,  jusqu'au  ler  mai  de  la 
presente  annee  1810,  date  de  I' acte  par  lequel  les  Etats- 
Unis  ont  revoque  celui  du  ler  mars,  1809. 

(6)  A    I'avenir    et    jusqu'au    ler    novembre    prochain, 
epoque  fixee  par  la  lettre  de  noire  ministre  des  relations 

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1821]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

exterieures  au  plenipotentiaire  des  Etats-Unis  pour  la 
revocation  de  nos  decrets  de  Berlin  et  de  Milan  (dans 
le  cas  ou  les  conditions  etablies  dans  la  dite  lettre  seraient 
r empties),  les  navires  americains  pourront  entrer  dans 
nos  ports;  mais  leur  deckargement  ne  pourra  avoir  lieu, 
a  moins  qu'ils  ne  soient  munis  d'une  license  signee  de 
noire  main,  que  sur  un  rapport  fait  en  conseil  de  com- 
merce, constatant  qu'ils  n'ont  pas  ete  denationalises  par 
leur  soumission  aux  arrets  du  conseil  Britannique,  et 
qu'ils  n'ont  point  contrevenu  a  nos  decrets  de  Berlin  et 
de  Milan. 

En  noire  palais  de  Trianon,  le  5  aout,  1810. 

(Signe")  NAPOLEON 
JULY 

Madame  Recamier  has  closed  her  salon  for  the  present. 
Most  of  the  adherents  of  the  Bonapartists  are  in  the 
deepest  mourning.  Surely  it  is  the  least  they  can  do, 
considering  the  Emperor  picked  most  of  them  out  of 
the  mud  and  made  them  rich  and  noble.  Joseph  Bona- 
parte seems  to  have  saved  an  immense  fortune;  he  is 
living  in  luxury  in  America.  Some  of  those  wretched 
Murats  are  also  there. 

JULY 

As  Frances  has  been  presented  at  Court,  mamma  now 
takes  her  to  balls,  &c.  It  is  very  trying  for  her.  I  am 
glad  to  say  Frances  is  far  prettier  than  I  thought  she 
would  be,  and  I  am  very  proud  to  have  such  a  pretty 
sister.  I  do  hope  she  will  make  a  good  marriage  and 
not  have  to  go  back  to  America.  We  have  to  go  to 
some  waters  for  mamma's  rheumatism.  I  think  Aix-en- 
Savoi  will  be  the  place  decided  on.  The  baths  are  good 
but  primitive.  It  is  near  Geneva.  Also  we  have 
relations  in  the  neighbourhood. 

AUGUST  1:  AIX-EN-SAVOI 

We  are  comfortably  installed  here  in  a  little  villa  they 
supply  us  with.  Both  mamma  and  myself  are  taking  a  cure 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1821 

for  rheumatism.  Father  only  remained  a  few  days  to 
see  us  settled  and  then  went  to  Geneva;  it  is  so  close. 
He  is  staying  with  the  Navilles.  This  is  a  beautiful 
country  but  very  hot.  The  Lac  du  Bourget  is  about  a 
mile  from  here.  I  have  hired  a  boat  and  take  Frances 
out  fishing  with  me.  It  is  such  a  rest  after  Paris.  We 
have  some  friends  from  Geneva;  the  de  Sellons  from 
Allaman  are  also  here.  The  Monastery  of  Hautecombe 
is  on  the  other  side  of  the  lake.  It  is  the  burial-place 
of  the  Dukes  of  Savoy  and  their  families;  and  they 
also  used  to  live  in  a  part  of  the  monastery.  There  is  a 
long  terrace  on  it  about  ten  to  twenty  feet  above  the 
lake.  The  story  is  that  the  ladies  of  the  House  of  Savoy 
used  to  fish  from  this  terrace,  that  there  were  men  in 
boats  below  who  placed  live  fish  on  their  hooks  and 
then  gave  a  little  jerk — much  to  the  delight  of  the  ladies, 
who  thought  they  were  fine  fisherwomen.  My  arm  is 
much  better;  I  can  raise  it  quite  high  already.  Very 
much  troubled  by  flies,  which  sting.  The  grapes  are 
ripe,  and  we  pay  fifty  centimes  to  go  into  a  vineyard 
and  eat  as  many  as  we  like. 

OCTOBER 

Aix  did  mamma  good,  and  now  we  are  installed  for  the 
winter.  Father  fears  there  will  be  poor  results  re  Indem- 
nity from  France.  He  says  the  Ministry  play  with  him 
and  are  continually  changing  their  tactics.  He  really 
thinks  he  ought  to  return  to  America  and  enter  into 
more  active  life.  He  likes  his  life  here;  it  all  suits  him, 
but  he  feels  he  is  wasting  time.  He  is  continually  being 
urged  to  enter  public  life  again  in  America;  he  will 
not,  I  think.  The  whole  system  of  political  life  in 
America  has  undergone  a  change,  and  he  feels  it  will  be 
most  distasteful  to  him. 

NOVEMBER  10 

Poor  Albertine  de  Broglie  is  in  great  trouble  as  she  has 
lost  her  baby — fortunately,  the  youngest  one.  I  have 

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1821]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

to  relieve  mamma,  taking  Frances  to  balls,  &c.  Madame 
S.  returns  to-day. 

NOVEMBER  12 

Ball  at  the  Palais  Royale.  Frances  looked  lovely  and 
was  very  much  admired;  she  danced  every  dance.  I 
love  to  see  her  enjoying  herself.  Of  course,  Madame 
de  Boigne  had  to  say  something  disagreeable  to  mamma. 
Looking  at  Frances,  who  was  dancing  with  La  Roche- 
foucauld, she  said,  "  I  see  you  have  brought  your  daughter 
up  a  VAnglaise"  "No,  a  VAmericaine"  said  mamma, 
with  a  strong  stare  at  the  opposite  wall.  Bravo,  mamma  I 
I  told  father  when  we  arrived  home;  he  laughed,  which 
is  rare  for  him.  Frances  says  she  will  not  marry  any 
man  who  does  not  propose  to  her  personally  and  not  to 
her  parents.  She  says  she  is  not  an  object  of  barter. 
I  consider  her  a  most  advanced  young  woman.  A  serious 
row  with  Madame  S.  May  it  be  the  end,  but  I  doubt  it. 

NOVEMBER  26 

Father  has  been  much  vexed  by  some  letters  from  Mr. 
Adams,  who  is  now  Secretary  of  State.  It  is  all  on 
account  of  the  seizure  of  a  French  ship  called  the  Apollon 
in  the  St.  Mary's  River  on  the  Spanish  side,  for  evading 
the  navigation  laws.  Father  thinks  it  is  a  high-handed 
action  and  unjustifiable.  He  has  taken  his  own  line 
with  the  French  Government  in  entire  opposition  to 
Mr.  Adams.  What  amazed  Mr.  Adams  was  that  father 
wrote  to  him  that  he  considered  his  argument  of  the 
case,  as  well  as  his  own,  not  worth  a  straw.  At  times 
he  certainly  is  an  extraordinary  contradiction.  Un- 
doubtedly father  has  far  superior  talent  to  Mr.  Adams, 
and  likes  playing  the  latter  as  a  cat  does  a  mouse. 
Father,  although  he  never  admits  it,  I  am  certain  feels 
very  deeply  the  gross  injustice  and  prejudice  that  shuts 
the  door  of  the  Presidency  to  him  simply  because  he 
was  not  born  in  America.  Although  he  tries  to  disguise 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1822 

it,  he  has  a  strong  belief  in  the  superiority  of  European 
intellect.  He  looks  upon  the  American-born  politicians 
as  a  lot  of  rough  colts  who  want  breaking  in.  Not  one 
of  them  has  had  the  early  training  that  he  has — brought 
up,  as  he  was,  among  the  flower  of  intellectual  men.  The 
Americans  have  great  intellect  and  brains  but  they  are 
untrained.  What  can  be  expected  of  them? 

DECEMBER  25 

Christmas  again.  We  are  having  a  large  party  for 
Frances.  Already  three  fathers  have  appeared  in  orthodox 
costume  to  formally  demand  her  hand  for  their  respective 
sons.  She  will  have  none  of  them.  The  Duchesse  de 
Broglie  has  pressed  one  suit,  but  Frances  is  obstinate. 
I  tell  her  she  must  not  be  too  particular. 

DECEMBER  26 

Everything  went  off  very  well.  Now  that  Frances  has 
grown  up  we  have  put  aside  fooling,  but  really  it  is  not 
half  as  amusing.  Our  cousins  the  Gallatins  are  giving 
a  Twelfth-Night  party  for  Frances. 

DECEMBER  31 

I  have  been  counting  up  my  money  for  my  etrennes 
to-morrow.  I  will  have  exactly  150  left  after  all  the 
servants  are  tipped.  It  is  a  bad  custom.  Mamma 
always  has  a  nest-egg,  so  I  will  have  to  draw  on  her. 
Good-bye,  Old  Year.  Off  to  an  old-fashioned  reveillon. 
Dear  old  diary !  Much  as  I  have  confidence  in  your 
discretion,  I  will  not  record  where  I  am  going  or  who  my 
companions  are  to  be. 

JANUARY  1,  1822 

We  are  quite  worn  out  with  all  the  duties  we  have  had  to 
perform.  The  long  time  we  are  kept  standing  at  Court 
is  most  trying.  The  King  paid  marked  attention  to 
father  yesterday,  so  did  Monsieur.  The  Duchesse  d'An- 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

gouleme,  who  on  many  occasions  has  noticed  Frances, 
asked  if  it  was  true  that  she  was  fiancee. 
To-night  a  ball  at  the  Palais  Royale. 
Monsieur  de  Richelieu  looks  very  ill.     He  is  still  pur- 
sued by  the  Queen  of  Sweden,  it  is  really  too  absurd; 
she  makes  him  as  well  as  herself  the  laughing-stock  of 
Paris.     We  are  bidden  to  a  reception  at  Madame  Re- 
camier's  for  the  10th.     Madame  Bonaparte  arrives  in  a 
few  days. 

JANUARY  11 

A  delightful  evening  at  Madame  Recamier's.  The 
funniest  sight  was  the  Queen  of  Sweden;  she  was  dressed 
in  a  most  extraordinary  manner — I  never  saw  a  person  so 
absolutely  out  of  place;  she  looks  more  fit  to  be  behind 
the  counter  of  a  tallow-chandler's  than  in  a  salon.  We 
have  had  some  very  nice  Americans  here  lately.  A  Mr. 
Ogle-Taylor  and  Mr.  Livingstone,  both  men  of  education 
and  polished  manners;  the  latter  was  very  anxious  for 
me  to  go  to  Italy  with  him,  but  I  could  not  be  spared. 

JANUARY  12 

Madame  Bonaparte  dined  with  us  yesterday,  she  is 
really  more  brilliant  than  ever,  a  little  embittered  perhaps, 
particularly  against  the  Catons,  they  are  her  bete  noire 
for  the  moment.  Her  sister-in-law,  Mrs.  Robert  Patterson, 
nee  Caton,  came  in  for  her  full  share.  It  seems  that  the 
Duke  of  Wellington  writes  to  her  every  week,  and  there 
is  much  scandal  about  their  relationship. 
Father  has  told  Madame  Bonaparte  there  will  always  be 
a  convert  for  her  at  our  table.  We  were  all  rather 
astonished  at  this,  for  he  does  not  often  show  such  marked 
hospitality,  particularly  to  Americans.  He  feels  very 
sorry  for  her,  and  thinks  she  has  been  badly  treated; 
that  she  is  a  woman  of  brilliant  intellect,  but  that  her 
troubles  have  quite  ruined  what  might  have  been  a  most 
delightful  personage,  as  well  as  a  power. 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1822 

JANUARY  13 

Fine  skating  in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne  to-day.  I  took 
Frances;  she  got  on  wonderfully  well  as  she  had  learned 
to  skate  in  America  when  she  was  a  child.  She  looked 
very  lovely,  mamma  dresses  her  so  well.  With  the  exer- 
cise of  skating  she  had  the  most  brilliant  colour  in  her 
cheeks.  One  horrible  old  woman  went  up  to  her  and 
rubbed  her  cheeks  with  her  pocket-handkerchief,  saying, 
"Tiens,  ce  n'est  pas  du  rouge."  I  think  some  of  the 
French  ladies  were  shocked  that  mamma  was  not  with  us. 
Princesse  Galitzin  had  kindly  offered  to  chaperone  Frances. 
It  is  really  too  absurd  that  now  she  is  grown  up  she  is 
not  allowed  to  drive  alone  with  me;  it  is  not  that  either 
mamma  or  father  object,  but  it  would  be  considered 
quite  wrong,  the  argument  being  that  everybody  did 
not  know  that  I  was  her  brother.  In  fact,  I  cannot  walk 
with  her  alone,  without  one  of  our  footmen  following. 
A  very  fine  ball  at  the  Carillion-Latours.  I  very  much 
pitied  poor  mamma,  she  had  to  sit  waiting  for  Frances 
until  the  early  hours  of  the  morning. 

JANUARY  14 

The  King  has  been  failing  very  fast;  they  say  for  the 
moment  he  is  very  much  better.  A  ball  at  Court  on  the 
16th.  In  fact,  I  do  not  think  there  is  a  single  night  that  we 
are  not  engaged  till  Lent.  Madame  Bonaparte  takes 
great  interest  in  Frances,  and  says  with  her  beauty  she 
ought  to  make  a  great  marriage.  I  fear  the  latter  has 
but  little  ambition. 

JANUARY  15 

Mr.  Crawford  is  urging  father  to  return  to  America,  as  he 
wants  him  to  use  his  influence  for  the  vote  of  the  State 
of  Pennsylvania  for  the  Presidency.  Father  has  not  the 
slightest  intention  of  doing  so,  and  does  not  think  Craw- 
ford has  the  slightest  chance.  The  President  wishes 
father  to  remain  in  Paris,  and  he  willingly  agrees  to  this. 

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In  fact,  I  think  he  wants  to  hold  himself  aloof  from 
politics  in  America.  He  often  talks  of  building  a  fine 
house  in  New  Geneva;  he  already  has  a  small  brick  one 
there.  I  cannot  understand  this  new  idea  of  his:  to  wish 
to  bury  himself  in  the  wilds  of  Western  Virginia;  to  take 
poor  mamma  there  after  the  life  she  has  led  in  Paris.  She 
detests  the  country;  of  course  we  never  disagree  with 
him  or  contradict  anything  he  says.  I  think  it  may  be 
sentiment.  He  pictures  New  Geneva  as  a  new  Eldorado. 
Of  course  Frances  will  marry.  So  will  I.  He  cannot  ex- 
pect me  to  live  in  idleness  in  the  backwoods  of  America. 
Practically  he  and  mamma  are  to  be  quite  alone.  Albert 
may  stop  with  them,  but  I  doubt  it.  I  had  an  odd  letter 
from  him  yesterday.  He  evidently  is  in  some  entangle- 
ment with  a  farmer's  daughter;  he  begs  me  not  to  mention 
it  to  anybody.  It  is  so  strange  that  he  always  liked  low 
company.  It  is  a  great  pity,  I  think,  that  father  did  not 
send  him  to  Geneva  to  be  educated.  The  people  he 
mixes  with  are  of  the  lowest  class,  totally  without  educa- 
tion or  manners.  I  cannot  understand  where  he  inherits 
his  low  tastes  from,  certainly  not  from  father's  family; 
nor  have  I  ever  heard  of  a  Nicholson  who  was  not  a  gentle- 
man. Albert  has  a  brain,  in  fact  in  his  way  is  very  clever. 
I  fear  now  it's  too  late  to  make  any  change  in  him. 

JANUARY  16 

I  took  Madame  de  R.  into  supper  last  night  at  the  Russian 
Embassy.  She  is  very  witty  and  does  not  hesitate  to 
express  her  opinion  in  the  most  clear  terms  a  maumise 
langue.  I  am  rather  afraid  of  her.  During  our  con- 
versation I  asked  her  if  she  knew  the  reason  why  Madame 
X.  had  such  success:  the  very  best  people  fighting  for 
invitations  to  her  entertainments,  although  she  had 
neither  beauty  nor  wit,  was  really  dull  and  vulgar. 
"There  you  are  wrong,"  she  answered.  "She  has  much 
more  than  wit  or  beauty,  tact.  When  I  dine  or  sup  with 
her,  she  puts  my  reigning  amani  on  my  right  and  the  one 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1822 

I  hope  to  succeed  him  on  my  left.     What  does  a  woman 
want  more?     Now  do  you  wonder  at  her  success?" 


FRIDAY 

Mrs.  Robert  Patterson  dined  with  us  on  Thursday;  she  is 
really  beautiful  and  has  a  wonderful  charm  of  manner. 
Her  one  topic  of  conversation  is  the  Duke  of  Wellington. 
They  say  he  allows  her  100,000  francs  a  year;  at  least 
so  says  Madame  Bonaparte.  Her  jewels  are  very  fine. 
Madame  B.  says  they  are  mostly  imitation,  but  I  think 
it  is  a  case  of  sour  grapes. 

JANUARY  18 

Father  has  refused  the  office  of  President  of  the  Bank  of 
the  United  States,  which  was  kindly  offered  to  him. 
He  has  the  fixed  idea  in  his  head  to  lead  an  absolutely 
retired  life  when  he  returns  to  America.  I  can  hardly 
credit  it  and  think  it  is  but  a  passing  fancy.  Monsieur 
de  Lafayette,  Pozzo  di  Borgo,  all  beg  him  to  remain  in 
Paris. 


JANUARY  20 

I  took  Frances  to  a  ball  at  the  Gay  de  Lussacs'  last  night, 
mamma  was  not  well.  She  had  written  to  the  Comtesse 
de  Gallatin  if  she  would  chaperone  Frances.  On  our 
arrival  I  could  not  find  any  of  the  Gallatin  family,  and 
really  did  not  know  what  to  do — at  12  o'clock  the 
Countess  appeared.  It  seems  that  they  had  a  bad 
accident,  one  of  the  horses  having  fallen,  dragging  the 
other  one  with  it  and  overturning  the  coach;  one  of  her 
daughters  was  badly  cut  on  the  neck  and  face.  She  made 
all  haste,  after  her  daughter  had  been  attended  to,  to  come 
to  the  ball,  on  account  of  Frances — it  was  most  kind  of  her. 
I  would  not  allow  her  to  stop  late  as  I  know  she  must  be 
anxious  to  get  home,  so  we  retired  at  1  o'clock. 

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JANUARY  21 

Skating  all  day;  it  is  an  exercise  I  love.  Had  a  bad  fall 
with  Katinka  Galitzin,  and  am  sorry  to  say  that  the  blade 
of  my  skate  tore  her  coat  and  cut  her  arm.  After  her 
mother  had  bound  it  up,  she  insisted  on  returning  to  the 
ice  and  skated  until  dark.  If  the  frost  holds  we  are 
going  to  have  a  grand  fete  de  null  on  the  ice  in  a  couple  of 
days;  the  Due  and  Duchesse  d'Orleans  have  promised 
to  be  present;  a  quete  will  be  made  for  charity. 

JANUARY  22 

Louise,  of  kitten  fame,  gave  birth  to  a  fine  boy  yesterday. 
I  am  the  parrain  and  Frances  the  marraine.  Mamma 
does  not  approve  but  father  does.  Of  course  we  asked 
him  first  and  mamma  never  goes  against  his  will. 

JANUARY  24,  1822 

The  frost  held;  in  fact  it  is  freezing  still.  The  fete  de 
null  was  a  grand  success.  It  was  beautifully  arranged 
on  the  Petit  Lac.  Wreaths  and  wreaths  of  lanterns 
made  it  quite  light  enough  to  see  everything  and  every- 
body. Sledges  in  every  shape  and  form  hung  with 
lanterns.  Some  with  most  grotesque  heads.  The  Due 
and  Duchesse  d'Orleans  and  the  Due  de  Chartres  arrived 
at  9  o'clock.  They  were  conducted  to  a  raised  plat- 
form on  which  was  a  species  of  divan  covered  with  fine 
fur  rugs.  All  fashionable  Paris  was  there  as  it  was  a 
novelty.  I  was  on  the  committee  of  arrangement.  We 
had  hired  some  Swedish  skaters  to  give  a  performance  in 
costume,  which  they  did  at  10.30.  We  had  a  retraite  au 
lanterne,  over  six  hundred  joined  in  it;  everybody  had  a 
stick  with  a  Chinese  lantern  on  it.  Some  of  the  men  had 
poles  of  wood  about  two  feet  from  each  shoulder  with 
lanterns  on  each  end.  There  were  fifty  men  two  by  two 
holding  bentwood  frames  with  lanthorns,  two  fine  mili- 
tary bands  played,  and,  for  the  retraite,  we  had  the  Corps 
de  Chasse  from  Compiegne  and  Fontainebleau.  The 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1822 

royalties  retired  at  11.30.  A  most  successful  fete. 
The  proceeds  collected  amounted  to  about  7000  francs. 
I  forgot  to  mention  we  had  coloured  fires  burning  at 
intervals:  red,  green  and  yellow.  All  the  way  from  the 
Petit  Lac,  at  an  interval  of  four  feet  apart,  were  stationed 
soldiers  holding  blazing  torches  to  light  the  way,  this 
extended  as  far  as  the  Champs  Elysees. 

JANUARY  25 

I  was  so  tired  this  morning,  and  stiff  from  skating.  Father 
had  some  writing  for  me  to  do.  I  took  it  over  to  a  table 
in  a  window  in  his  room.  I  made  a  brave  start  but  I 
suppose  I  was  overcome  with  fatigue  and  the  warmth 
of  the  room  combined.  I  was  awakened  by  the  sound  of 
the  gong  for  dejeuner.  I  found  a  cushion  had  been 
placed  under  my  head.  Father  stood  by  me  smiling, 
and  said,  "  I  hope  you  had  a  good  sleep,  my  petit  vaurien." 
I  made  every  excuse,  but  he  only  laughingly  said,  "  Come 
to  breakfast,  and  finish  your  writing  this  afternoon." 

JANUARY  27 

Mamma  called  me  into  her  boudoir  this  morning;  she 
said  she  wished  to  have  a  serious  conversation  with  me. 
She  began  by  asking  why  I  had  not  written  to  my  aunt, 
Mrs.  Montgomery,  in  America;  that  I  had  neglected  her 
terribly,  &c.  &c.  Now  as  I  had  never  written  to  this 
respected  lady  in  my  life,  I  was  at  a  loss  for  an  answer. 
By  degrees  it  all  came  out.  It  seems  that  Mrs.  Montgom- 
ery is  rich,  has  no  heir;  mamma  thought  I  might  stand 
a  chance.  I  at  once  consented  to  do  so.  I  wrote  a  letter 
in  a  burlesque  style.  Knowing  Mrs.  M.  to  be  a  violent 
republican,  I  abused  and  ridiculed  everything  that  had 
to  do  with  a  republic;  that  I  hoped  Americans  would 
come  to  their  senses  and  have  a  king;  that  I  hoped 
that  I  never  would  be  obliged  to  return  to  the  land  of 
the  free.  I  showed  the  letter  to  mamma.  After  reading 
it  she  stamped  her  foot,  a  bad  sign,  and  threw  the  letter 

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I  had  taken  so  much  pains  with  into  the  fire.  I  don't 
think  she  will  ever  ask  me  to  write  another.  I  hate 
humbug  and  don't  want  anybody's  money. 

JANUARY  29 

Madame  Patterson  Bonaparte  dined  with  us  yesterday,  as 
well  as  her  sister,  Mrs.  Robert  Patterson.  Mathieu  de  la 
Rochefoucauld,  the  Alfieris  and  several  others.  Madame 
B.  was  as  usual  brilliant,  and  kept  the  whole  table  alive 
with  her  witticisms.  Pozzo  di  Borgo,  who  was  also  one  of 
the  guests,  said,  "  Really,  Madame  Bonaparte,  you  should 
have  been  a  man:  you  would  have  been  a  diplomatist." 

FEBRUARY  1 

Very  serious  trouble  I  fear  is  brewing  for  me  with  Madame 
S.     If  this  diary  falls  into  the  hands  of  any  young  man 
beginning  his  career,  may  I  warn  him  never  to  have  an 
intrigue  with  a  married  woman. 
Off  to  Fontainebleau  to  hunt  to-morrow. 

FEBRUARY  3 

We  had  a  poor  day,  as  it  had  frozen  hard  in  the  night. 

I  stuck  one  pig,  quite  a  youngster,  who  squealed  like  a 

baby.    A  very  large  party.    The  usual  "  cur6e."    Nothing 

very  much  to  record.    I  had  to  leave  early  this  morning, 

as  I  knew  there  would  be  business  for  me  to  attend  to  for 

father. 

FEBRUARY  5 

The  King  is  now  entirely  in  the  power  of  Madame  du 
Cayla;*  he  does  nothing  without  asking  her  advice.  There 
has  been  a  great  deal  of  intriguing  about  the  post  of 
Archbishop  of  Paris.  Monsieur  du  Quellon,  I  believe, 
will  be  appointed,  he  is  very  young  for  such  a  post. 

*  Zoe  Talon,  Comtesse  du  Cayla,  born  1784,  died  1850,  daughter  of 
a  secret  agent  employed  before  the  Restoration.  Mistress  of  Louis 
XVIII,  whom  she  dominated. 

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ALBERT   GALLATIN 
PAINTED  BY  MADAME  MEUNIEB-ROMILLY,  GENEVA,  JANUARY,  1815 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1822 

FEBRUARY  7 

Mr.  Astor  has  been  pressing  father  to  accept  the  Presi- 
dency of  the  United  States  Bank,  but  ne  will  not  hear  of  it. 
He  had  rather  a  disagreeable  experience  to-day.  Some 
most  extraordinary  Americans  called.  The  rule  is  for 
them  simply  to  write  their  names  and  addresses,  but  they 
insisted  upon  seeing  father.  He  received  them  with 
great  civility,  but  the  moment  they  commenced  to  speak 
I  gauged  what  sort  of  people  they  were.  They  did  not 
request  father  to  present  them  at  Court,  but  absolutely 
demanded  it  as  a  right.  Now  he  has  made  it  a  rule  not 
to  present  anybody  unless  they  hold  some  distinguished 
position  in  their  own  country.  These  people  were  abso- 
lutely impossible.  Father  quietly  but  firmly  said,  "I 
regret  not  being  able  to  present  you."  They  demanded 
the  reason  why  in  the  most  insolent  manner.  Father 
rang  the  bell,  and  when  the  footman  appeared  simply 
said,  "Show  these  gentlemen  to  the  door."  They 
commenced  to  use  the  most  disgraceful  language.  I 
with  the  help  of  Mr.  Sheldon  insisted  upon  their  leaving. 
Father  with  a  bow  left  the  room  by  another  door.  It  is 
really  dreadful  he  should  be  subjected  to  such  indignity. 
He  has  now  given  an  order  that  in  future  nobody  is  to  be 
ushered  into  his  presence  without  first  being  interviewed 
by  Mr.  Sheldon  or  myself. 

FEBRUARY  12 

There  seem  to  be  internal  troubles  all  over  France.  Mon- 
sieur is  suspected  of  starting  the  agitation.  They  say 
the  Due  d'Orleans  is  also  stirring  up  discontent. 
I  do  not  even  intend  looking  at  the  Carnival  this  year, 
much  less  taking  part  in  it.  I  suppose  I  have  sown  about 
one-half  or,  say,  three-quarters  of  my  wild  oats.  I  am 
glad  that  father  and  I  are  on  the  best  of  terms,  and  I  am 
quite  convinced  we  always  will  be.  Madame  Bonaparte 
dines  here  continually;  she  is  certainly  a  most  delightful 
and  entertaining  person.  I  rarely  hear  her  say  an  ill- 

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word  of  anybody,  with  the  exception  of  the  Catons  and 
of  her  husband;  she  certainly  has  reason  in  that  quarter 
after  the  treatment  she  has  received  at  his  hands. 

FEBRUARY  13 

Father  had  a  private  audience  of  the  King  to-day.  I 
accompanied  him  as  I  always  do.  To  our  amazement 
when  we  were  ushered  into  the  presence,  Madame  du 
Cayla  was  present  and  did  not  retire;  she  seems  to  hold 
absolute  sway  over  him.  He  actually  appealed  to  her 
for  her  opinion  on  matters  political  which  she  certainly 
had  no  knowledge  of. 

Driving  home  father  expressed  his  disgust,  and  said 
it  was  high  time  he  abdicated  if  he  was  governed  by  a 
woman.  It  has  always  been  the  same  thing  with  the 
Bourbons;  in  their  old  age  some  intriguing  woman  has 
governed  them. 

Very  cold:  if  the  frost  holds  we  will  have  skating  to- 
morrow. 

FEBRUARY  15 

I  have  been  skating  the  last  two  days  on  the  Petit  Lac. . . . 

FEBRUARY  17 

Katinka  Galitzin  was  married  to-day  to  Caumont  la 
Force.  The  contract  for  the  marriage  was  signed  last 
night.  A  great  crush,  splendid  corbeille  de  mariage. 
The  family  jewels,  which  are  those  of  the  Due  de  la  Force, 
magnificent.  There  were  two  ceremonies,  a  Russian 
one  in  the  Chapel  of  the  Embassy,  and  the  Catholic  one 
at  St.  Pierre  de  Challiot.  I  was  present  at  both.  I  will 
miss  her  very  much  as  we  were  really  such  good  friends. 
I  will  always  have  a  soft  spot  in  my  heart  for  her. 

FEBRUARY  20 

There  are  extraordinary  accounts,  about  his  Most 
Gracious  Majesty  King  George  the  Fourth,  from  England, 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1822 

all  the  scandal  about  Queen  Caroline,  it  is  certainly  very 
disgraceful.  He  moves  under  the  absolute  sway  of  Lady 
Conyngham.  I  was  weak  enough  last  night  to  allow  myself 
to  be  dragged  off  to  a  supper.  I  am  glad  to  say  I  was 
bored  and  returned  home  early.  I  think  father  was  rather 
shocked  when  he  was  told  that  Pozzo  di  Borgo  was  on  the 
Committee  of  "  Crockfords,"  but  Russians  are  all  born 
gamblers.  It  seems  that  immense  fortunes  change  hands 
nightly  at  this  establishment,  which  is  in  St.  James's 
Street,  opposite  Mr.  White's.  The  man  who  started  it 
has  already  realized  a  large  fortune.  Some  of  the  heavy 
gamblers  wear  large  straw  hats,  pulled  well  over  their 
eyes:  this  is  to  conceal  their  features  so  that  no  one  can  see 
their  expression  when  they  are  winning  or  losing.  Thank 
God,  I  have  not  the  slightest  temptation  to  gamble — 
about  my  one  and  only  virtue.  Here  in  Paris  play  is  not 
so  very  high,  and  is  not  indulged  in  by  the  higher  classes 
to  any  very  great  extent.  Lent  is  here,  which  means 
quiet  and  plenty  of  leisure.  I  am  now  studying  banking 
systems,  both  English,  American  and  French.  The  Alex- 
ander Barings  come  to  us  to-morrow  for  a  week.  They 
are  both  so  charming.  It  is  a  great  pleasure  for  mamma 
to  have  Mrs.  Baring  as  she  is  an  American  and  so  sympa- 
thetic. He  and  father  are  always  engaged  in  financial 
questions  in  which  they  are  both  absorbed. 

MAY  18* 

The  Due  de  Richelieu  has  been  looking  very  ill,  he 
died  suddenly  yesterday.  He  had  come  from  Versailles 
to  Paris  the  day  before.  His  sister  was  with  him. 
Several  doctors  were  called  in,  but  without  avail.  He 
died  gently  in  his  sleep.  Father  is  much  distressed  as 
he  had  the  highest  opinion  of  him,  of  his  wonderful 
honesty,  and  of  his  devotion  to  France. 

*From  February  20  until  May  18  the  diary  has  been  destroyed. 
—EDITOR. 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

MAY  25 

The  Queen  of  Sweden  is  making  herself  quite  ridiculous. 
The  Due  only  spoke  to  her  twice  in  his  life.  She  has 
even  been  to  the  King  with  her  lamentations. 

MAY  30 

The  Due  d'Angoul£me  is  the  only  member  of  the  Royal 
Family  who  seems  to  show  any  regret.  It  is  disgusting, 
as  he  gave  his  life  to  his  country. 

I  have  had  my  own  troubles  lately — result,  a  boy  which 
father  in  his  large-minded  manner  has  provided  for. 
Madame  S.  is  to  live  in  Switzerland,  her  husband  has 
repudiated  her.  Was  there  ever  such  a  father  as  mine? 
He  has  never  mentioned  the  matter  to  me  but,  after  he 
had  arranged  everything,  last  night  on  retiring  to  my 
room,  I  found  a  letter  on  my  table.  It  was  couched  in 
the  kindest  terms.  He  informed  me  he  had  settled 
everything,  and  that  the  subject  would  never  be  men- 
tioned by  him,  that  mamma  was  in  total  ignorance  of  it. 
God  bless  him ! 

The  question  of  the  navigation  with  the  United  States 
has  been  discussed  in  the  Chamber.  Father  is  not  quite 
satisfied.  Monsieur  de  Chateaubriand  seems  to  ignore 
everything.  He  has  not  even  answered  our  notes  lately; 
it  is  really  very  exasperating.  Nearly  six  years  wasted. 

JUNE  2 

We  have  organized  a  new  form  of  amusement;  at  least  the 
Gay  de  Lussacs  promulgated  the  idea.  We  drive  out  to 
St.  Germain  leaving  Paris  about  5  o'clock.  A  picnic  din- 
ner at  the  Pavilion  Henri  Quatre,  then  dancing,  singing, 
&c.,  until  10.30,  then  a  drive  home  by  moonlight.  Several 
of  Frances'  friends.  Mamma  took  two  very  nice  American 
girls,  Misses  Thome,  the  Gallatins,  and  their  daughters. 
The  English  Ambassadress  brought  four  very  nice  Eng- 
lish girls,  about  ten  married  couples  going  and  a  host  of 
men.  It  was  a  great  success  and  we  have  agreed  to 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1822 

repeat  it  every  week.  Each  pays  his  own  share.  I 
feel  now  as  free  as  the  air,  since  I  have  got  rid  of  Madame 
S.:  it  may  be  ingratitude,  but  I  always  feel  so  ashamed 
of  myself.  I  believe  most  of  the  French  mammas 
refused  at  first  to  join  the  St.  Germain  parties,  but  I 
believe  before  long  we  will  have  many  more  joining 
us.  My  miniature  is  very  good  and  I  have  given  it 
to  mamma. 


JUNE  3 

Just  after  dejeuner  to-day  we  heard  a  great  noise  in  the 
servants'  quarters.  As  it  continued  mamma  rang  and 
Monsieur  Caron  the  maitre  d' hotel  appeared,  crimson  in 
face.  He  begged  that  I  would  be  allowed  to  come  down 
and  see  what  had  happened:  the  spectacle  that  met  my 
eyes  when  I  reached  the  kitchen  is  indescribable.  Poor 
Mamie  Kitty,  the  nigger  cook,  had  made  some  waffles 
for  dejeuner;  one  of  the  footmen,  out  of  sheer  mischief, 
had  taken  the  remainder  of  the  paste,  and  with  the  aid  of 
two  of  the  kitchen  wenches,  who  had  held  Mamie,  they 
had  smeared  her  head  and  face  with  the  white  hominy 
paste  and  had  sprinkled  flour  over  it,  turning  her  into  a 
white  woman.  She  lost  her  temper  and  when  she  was  free 
made  a  dash  for  him  and  literally  had  torn  his  clothes 
off.  There  he  was,  clothed  as  he  came  into  the  world, 
standing  behind  a  large  table,  while  Mamie  was  trying 
to  belabour  him  with  a  rolling-pin.  The  moment  I  spoke 
to  her  she  dropped  the  pin  and  went  on  her  knees  and 
began  saying,  "Oh  Jesus  forgive  a  poor  nigger."  If  it 
had  not  been  so  pathetic  I  would  have  laughed.  It 
seemed  to  sober  all  the  servants  who  were  assembled. 
I  told  her  to  get  up,  and  taking  her  by  the  hand  took  her 
straight  upstairs  to  mamma.  The  poor  old  dear  was 
trembling  and  wailing.  Mamma  made  her  tell  her  story: 
although  she  did  not  at  all  approve  she  told  Mamie 
that  it  was  only  meant  in  fun.  Frances  took  her  up  to 

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1822]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

her  maid  to  be  cleansed;  the  poor  old  soul  sat  moaning 
all  the  rest  of  the  day.  Father  will  interview  all  those 
who  took  part  to-morrow  and  will  see  that  the  delinquents 
are  punished.  I  felt  so  sorry  for  her  as  she  kept  repeating, 
"I  am  only  a  poor  old  nigger  and  God  made  me  black. 
I  am  a  miserable  old  sinner." 

JUNE  4 

Much  to  our  surprise  Monsieur  and  Madame  d'Osmond 
have  bidden  us  to  dinner  for  the  10th.  Mamma  is  quite 
flurried,  as  she  says  she  has  worn  all  her  frocks  out  and 
she  has  no  time  to  have  one  arranged.  Father  gave  her 
five  hundred  francs  and  said, "  Get  yourself  and  Frances  the 
finest  'war  paint '  that  that  can  purchase."  The  young 
footman  was  very  contrite  and  begged  not  to  be  dismissed. 
Father  told  him  he  must  apologize  to  Mamie  Kitty  and 
beg  her  pardon  before  all  the  servants,  and  that  he  would 
be  present — the  footman,  George  by  name,  did  so,  and  the 
poor  old  woman  threw  her  arms  around  his  neck  and 
gave  him  two  ringing  kisses:  I  think  he  was  sufficiently 
punished. 

JUNE  5 

At  the  opera  last  night  I  spied  a  charming  and  mysterious- 
looking  lady  in  a  frilled  beignoir.  Every  time  I  looked 
at  her  she  put  up  her  fan,  but  I  saw  her  peeping  between 
the  sticks.  I  waited  at  the  finish  close  to  the  exit  of  her 
loge;  she  made  the  slightest  sign  to  me,  the  very  slightest, 
for  me  to  follow  her.  In  the  crowd  I  saw  her  put  her  hand 
behind  her  back.  I  edged  near  to  her  and  saw  there  was 
a  piece  of  paper  in  it;  watched  my  opportunity,  and 
covering  her  hand  took  it.  As  soon  as  I  got  the  chance 
I  opened  the  little  three-cornered  note,  only  a  few 
lines — "28  rue  Boissy  d'Anglas — minuit  demain."  I  am 
sorely  puzzled — I  thought  I  knew  toutes  ces  dames 
by  sight.  A  splendid  footman  met  her  and  put  her 
into  a  fine  coach — a  demain,  but  I  am  intrigued. 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

JUNE  5 

I  had  a  batch  of  letters  to  copy  this  morning  which  kept 
me  very  busy.  Mr.  Crawford  is  still  writing  to  father 
begging  him  to  come  home,  on  account  of  the  elections: 
the  latter  says  if  he  does  so  he  will  be  again  drawn  into 
political  life,  which  is  undesirable.  I  am  thinking  of 
to-night  and  wondering.  I  met  some  of  my  intimes 
this  afternoon,  but  thought  it  wiser  not  to  mention  my 
adventure  to  them.  I  am  dining  at  the  Cafe  Anglais 
with  Guy  de  Montesquieu  and  the  lady  he  protects.  Will 
look  in  at  the  opera  to  while  away  the  time  till  mid- 
night. 

JUNE  6 

I  am  disgusted  with  myself.  On  the  tiptoe  of  expectation 
I  arrived  at  No.  28.  All  was  darkness.  I  waited  for  a 
few  moments,  when  the  small  door  of  the  porte-cochere 
opened  and  a  hand  beckoned  me  in.  The  moment  the 
door  closed  there  was  a  brilliant  light,  two  footmen  in 
the  hall,  and  I  saw  several  other  cloaks  and  hats:  the 
mystery  was  soon  solved,  tout  bonnement — a  gambling 
house.  I  was  ushered  into  a  superb  salon,  the  rattle 
of  dice  assailed  my  ear  and  my  charmer  stepped  forward 
to  greet  me.  I  might  have  known,  as  the  police  are  so 
down  on  maisons  de  jeu  at  present.  Not  a  soul  I  had 
ever  seen  before:  that  struck  me  as  quite  extraordinary. 
I  must  be  getting  old !  No  more  aventures  galantes 
seem  to  come  in  my  way.  I  did  not  play  and  soon  retired, 
evidently  much  to  the  disgust  of  my  hostess. 

JUNE  10 

We  have  been  very  quiet  for  the  last  few  days.  To-day 
is  the  dinner  at  the  Osmonds'.  Albertine  de  Broglie 
came  to  dejeuner  to-day  to  eat  American  food.  I  do  not 
think  she  really  cared  for  it,  but  was  too  polite  to  say  so. 
Albert  has  written  that  the  house  is  getting  on  famously. 
We  certainly  must  be  returning  soon. 

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JUNE  11 

I  must  acknowledge  the  dinner  at  the  Osmonds'  was  superb. 
We  were  forty  and  the  fine  fleur  of  society.  Madame 
de  Boigne  in  her  own  house  is  an  excellent  hostess.  I 
escorted  a  very  pretty  woman  to  dinner — a  Comtesse 
Chabot:  she  had  passed  much  of  her  life  in  England  and 
longed  to  go  back  there  to  live,  which  is  rare  for  a 
Frenchwoman.  Lady  Westmoreland,  a  handsome  Lady 
Fane,  the  English  Ambassador,  a  son  of  the  Countess  of 
Sutherland,  whom  I  met  at  Coppet,  I  think  it  was  in  1815. 
After  dinner,  which  lasted  three  mortal  hours,  we  retired 
to  the  ball-room.  There  was  a  raised  estrade,  and 
Malibran  sang.  I  went  rather  late  to  the  Spanish 
Embassy.  Father  was  too  tired  to  go.  A  great  crowd — 
the  "Nuncio"  as  usual. 

JUNE  14 

We  had  one  of  our  jaunts  to  St.  Cloud  yesterday,  a  much 
larger  company  and  most  enjoyable. 

JUNE  15 

Very  hot,  I  sat  at  Tortoni's  until  supper-time  eating  ice- 
creams, which  I  really  think  made  me  hotter. 

JUNE  20 

A  catastrophe  this  morning:  poor  mamma  sprained  her 
ankle  and  will  not  be  able  to  move  for  at  least  a  month. 
Her  feet  are  very  small,  and  as  she  is  short  she  wears  very 
high  heels — not  being  quite  as  light  as  she  was  her  ankles 
easily  turn.  Countess  de  Gallatin  called  to-day.  She 
is  getting  up  some  little  plays  and  wants  to  enlist  Frances 
and  myself  in  her  company.  Father  gave  his  permission 
for  Frances.  I  have  never  acted,  but  am  going  to  see 
what  I  can  do.  I  am  cast  for  a  little  play  called  "Un 
Mari  en  1815."  I  am  to  be  a  soldier  bold,  six  women  in 
the  cast.  I  am  the  only  man.  Like  a  rooster  in  a 
farmyard. 

208 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1822 

JUNE  22 

Our  first  rehearsal  to-day.  I  fear  we  all  laughed  so  much 
that  little  progress  was  made.  I  have  to  kiss  two  of  the 
girls — my  daughters.  This  we  did  not  rehearse. 

JUNE  24 

Second  rehearsal  to-day.  It  went  much  better  as  now 
we  have  some  idea  of  our  roles.  There  is  no  doubt 
father  intends  going  home  soon.  I  will  be  glad  in  one 
way,  but  very  sorry  to  leave  my  beloved  Paris.  Puys6gur 
and  Montesquieu  misbehaved  so  much  to-day  at  rehearsal 
that  Madame  de  Gallatin  threatened  to  get  substitutes 
for  them — they  both  are  very  funny. 

JUNE  25 

A  reception  at  the  Palais  Royal  to-night  and  a  Court 
ball  on  the  29th.  How  sick  I  am  of  these  entertainments. 
We  have  a  dinner-party  to-morrow.  Mamma  has  a 
wheeled  chair,  so  can  be  present.  The  invitations  were 
launched  before  her  accident. 

Mormornsen  had  six  more  kittens  to-day,  father  un- 
known. Glorious  weather.  I  drove  father  for  the  first 
time  in  my  curricle  to-day.  He  enjoyed  it  very  much. 
He  and  I  dine  at  the  English  Embassy  on  Wednesday. 
Mamma  has  begged  to  be  excused. 

JUNE  26 

The  reception  at  the  Palais  Royal  was  far  more  amusing 
than  I  thought  it  would  be:  a  great  many  English 
friends  that  the  Orl6ans  family  had  made  in  England.  It 
ended  in  a  dance. 

JUNE  28 

Our  dinner  was  a  great  success.  It  was  for  the  Osmonds. 
Father  insisted  that  Monsieur  de  Lafayette  should 
be  invited.  He  made  himself  most  agreeable.  The 
Osmonds  have  always  kept  up  their  relations  with  him. 

209 


1822]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

JUNE  30 

A  very  grand  ball  at  the  Tuilleries.    I  enjoyed  it  although 

I  was  very  fatigued,  having  rehearsed  for  four  mortal 

hours. 

JULY  2 

A  very  long  and  stately  dinner  at  the  English  Em- 
bassy. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baring  were  of  the  guests.  Nea- 
politan singers  in  the  garden,  sang  during  dinner.  Some- 
times I  feel  I  never  want  to  dine  out  again.  Why  do 
people  want  to  meet  together  to  eat? 

JULY  4 

Father  received  as  usual  all  the  Americans  in  Paris  to-day, 
all  sorts  and  all  kinds — a  motley  crew.  Buffet  in  the 
garden.  I  will  go  to  bed  early. 

JULY  6 

Our  last  rehearsal  to-night — some  people  are  coming  so  as 
to  give  us  confidence.  Very  warm — Frances  very  excited. 
Mamma  is  a  little  nervous  about  her  acting  when  she 
cannot  be  present.  Father  has  promised  to  take  her 
not  only  to-night  but  to-morrow  as  well.  I  am  afraid 
he  will  be  bored. 

JULY  8 

AH  went  off  capitally.  In  the  first  play  Frances  looked 
lovely  and  really  acted  so  well.  I  saw  father  laughing. 
I  was  indeed  a  warrior  bold.  My  six  young  ladies  were 
one  more  charming  than  the  other,  unfortunately  I  was 
made  up  as  an  old  man — that  seemed  to  put  them 
quite  at  their  ease.  Puysegur  drank  too  much 
champagne  and  forgot  every  word  of  his  role,  but  I  don't 
think  the  audience  noticed  it.  We  were  all  very  merry: 
the  great  drawback  was  the  heat  and  the  smell  of  the  oil 
lamps  on  the  rampe. 

210 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

JULY  10 

Most  people  are  leaving  Paris  now.  Mamma's  so  much 
better  that  she  drives  out  to  St.  Cloud  and  St.  Germain. 
Hardly  any  entertaining.  The  Court  is  at  St.  Cloud. 
The  Duchesse  d'Angouleme  loves  it,  but  nothing  will  induce 
her  to  go  to  Versailles.  I  am  not  surprised — the  memories 
would  be  terrible  for  her.  The  King  is  worse.  Madame 
du  Cayla  absolutely  rules  him  with  a  rod  of  iron.  Albert 
has  had  measles,  but  is  well  again.  My  aunt  Few  went 
and  fetched  him  to  her  home  in  Baltimore  and  nursed  him. 
Mamma  is  still  a  little  anxious  about  him.  It  takes  so 
long  to  get  an  answer  to  a  letter. 


JULY  14 

Intolerably  hot.  I  have  been  to  the  baths  in  the  Seine 
all  day  trying  to  keep  cool.  Our  garden  is  nice  with 
some  shady  trees. 


JULY  16 

Have  been  trying  to  read  in  the  garden,  but  the  com- 
bination of  flies  and  the  heat  was  too  much  for  me,  so 
darkened  my  room  and  went  to  sleep.  After  supper 
mamma  allowed  me  to  take  Frances  for  a  drive — we  had 
to  return  post-haste  as  there  was  every  indication  of  a 
violent  thunderstorm.  We  only  just  got  in  in  time. 
It  is  an  extraordinary  thing  but  the  only  fear  I  have  ever 
seen  father  show  is  that  of  lightning.  He  was  waiting 
anxiously  on  the  perron  for  our  return.  He  had  had  some 
feather  beds  brought  into  the  centre  drawing-room, 
all  windows  were  closed  and  the  shutters  shut.  He  in- 
sisted on  mamma  going  in  and  there  we  sat  for  three 
mortal  hours,  stifling.  It  certainly  was  one  of  the  worst 
storms  I  have  ever  seen.  After  it  was  over  it  was 
deliciously  fresh  and  I  went  for  a  good  walk,  not  getting 
home  until  1.30. 

211 


1822]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 
JULY  19 

Mamma  and  Frances  leave  to-day  for  Fontainebleau, 
then  they  go  to  the  de  Lussacs'  (she  was  an  American  and 
an  old  friend  of  mamma's),  afterwards  to  pay  some  visits 
on  the  Loire.  I  stop  with  father.  My  arm  has  been 
very  painful  lately.  I  must  have  it  examined  again. 

JULY  20 

Our  old  nigger,  Mamie,  is  quite  well  again,  the  chef  is 
going  for  a  holiday  and  she  is  going  to  cook  for  us — as 
we  will  be  quite  alone  she  will  not  have  too  much  work 
to  do. 

JULY  23 

Still  this  horrible  heat;   I  can  do  nothing.     I  feel  like  a 

wrung  out  dish-cloth.  .  .  . 

JULY  25 

A  little  cooler.  Have  been  putting  all  father's  proofs 
of  his  pamphlet  in  order  and  correcting  them  for  him. 
I  do  not  know  how  he  manages  it.  He  is  always  cool  and 
calm  and  serene.  His  is  indeed  a  blessed  nature. 

JULY  26 

To  our  astonishment  Monsieur  de  Lafayette  appeared 
last  evening,  full  of  mystery.  He  asked  for  hospitality, 
which  father  was  only  too  pleased  to  extend  to  him. 
His  baggage  consisted  of  a  large  roll  of  green  canvas  tied 
with  a  thick  cord.  He  is  very  funny. 

JULY  30 

Great  heat  again.  Monsieur  Lafayette  still  here.  He 
only  goes  out  at  night.  He  is  plotting  something.  Not  a 
soul  in  Paris,  and  those  who  are  here  do  not  show  them- 
selves. I  sat  outside  at  Tortoni's  until  midnight:  with 
the  exception  of  Carrillon  Latour  I  did  not  see  a  soul  I 
knew. 

212 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

AUGUST  1 

Some  annoying  news  from  America:  I  sincerely  hope 
father  is  not  going  to  be  dragged  into  politics  again. 
He  is  not  so  strong  as  he  was,  but  his  brain  seems  to  be 
even  more  active. 

AUGUST  6 

Nothing  to  record.  Absolute  monotony.  Everything 
at  a  standstill.  I  am  getting  so  fat.  Mamie  Kitty 
feeds  us  on  all  sorts  of  fattening  things. 

AUGUST  8 

Monsieur  de  Lafayette  left  hurriedly  to-day.  About 
10.30  this  evening  two  mysterious  noisy  men  sent  in  a  note 
to  father.  He  received  them  alone:  what  transpired 
I  do  not  know,  but  he  seemed  greatly  annoyed.  .  .  . 

AUGUST  9 

Father  sent  this  morning  his  confidential  servant  to  Mr. 
Parker's  to  try  and  get  Monsieur  de  Lafayette's  address. 
He  evidently  wishes  to  warn  him  of  some  impending 
danger. 

AUGUST  11 

I  could  have  had  an  aventure  galante,  but  it  is  too  hot. 

AUGUST  13 

I  had  a  bad  attack  of  indigestion,  am  dieting  on  peaches — 
they  are  so  plentiful  now  after  the  abnormal  hot  weather. 

AUGUST  17 

Horrible  nettlerash.  I  cannot  get  any  sleep,  sent  for  the 
physician;  he  says  it  was  caused  by  the  peaches.  He  has 
put  me  on  milk  and  barley-water. 

AUGUST  19 

Two  inches  less  around  the  waist.  Must  go  and  see 
Alfred,  he  will  be  overjoyed. 

213 


1822]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

AUGUST  20 

Ordered  some  new  surtouts  for  the  autumn,  four  pairs 
pantaloons  and  three  silk  vests — one  striped  the  others 
with  flowers. 

AUGUST 

Another  shock,  Lord  Castlereagh  that  was,  now  Lord 
Londonderry,  committed  suicide  on  the  12th  at  North 
Cray.  He  seemed  perfectly  well:  dressing  for  breakfast, 
he  cut  an  artery  in  his  arm;  there  was  no  reason  for 
such  an  act,  political  or  otherwise.  They  say  there  is 
hereditary  madness  in  the  family.  Father  had  the  great- 
est respect  for  him.  He  had  always  been  just  in  all  his 
dealings,  so  large-minded,  and  his  word  was  to  be  depended 
upon. 

We  remain  in  Paris  all  the  summer,  mamma  and  Frances 
are  paying  visits  in  the  country.  .  .  . 

SEPTEMBER  15:  CHATEAU  DU  ROSEY  ROLE 

Father  insists  upon  my  coming  here.  He  put  it  on  the 
plea  that  he  wanted  me  to  attend  to  some  business  in 
Geneva  for  him,  but  I  know  he  thought  I  was  dull  alone 
with  him.  I  did  not  like  leaving  him,  but  as  he  has  Mon- 
sieur de  Lafayette  and  several  other  friends  I  consented. 
It  is  lovely  here  and  I  am  very  glad  to  be  with  my  cousins. 
They  make  me  feel  more  like  a  dwarf  than  ever,  they  are 
so  colossal.  They  have  planned  a  trip  to  Chamounix 
for  me.  Adrian  Naville  is  to  be  of  the  party — we  are 
going  in  a  few  days. 

SEPTEMBER  17 

We  went  yesterday  to  Allaman  and  slept  at  the  chateau. 
My  cousins  the  de  Sellons  were  so  glad  to  see  us;  they 
have  one  whole  side  of  the  chateau  covered  with  a  vine 
of  American  grapes :  they  are  not  quite  ripe  yet.  A  sister 
of  the  Comte  de  Sellon  married  a  Count  Cavour  from 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

Turin.  They  were  on  a  visit  at  the  chateau.  They 
have  a  son*  with  an  enormous  head,  and  one  daughter 
who  is  very  handsome.  Another  sister  of  Monsieur  de 
Sellon's  is  the  Duchesse  de  Clermont-Tonnerre,  whom 
we  see  so  much  of  in  Paris. 

SEPTEMBER  19:  CHAMOUNIX 

We  started  early  yesterday  morning,  a  glorious  day. 
Mules  met  us  and  we  reached  here  by  the  Tete  Noire 
Pass.  A  most  beautiful  road.  Only  one  guide.  A 
very  famous  one  who  has  made  the  ascent  of  Mont  Blanc 
eleven  times.  His  name  is  Jacques  Balmat.  To-day 
we  have  been  to  the  Mer  de  Glace,  a  rather  fine  but  dirty 
glacier.  We  remain  here  till  Friday. 

SEPTEMBER  20 

We  have  made  several  more  ascents  of  moderate  moun- 
tains. My  cousins  are  far  more  keen  on  finding  some 
chamoix  to  shoot.  We  saw  several;  they  are  very  difficult 
to  approach  and  I  only  secured  two.  I  am  going  to  have 
one  of  the  heads  stuffed  as  a  trophy.  The  inn  is  very 
modest,  good  beds,  and  the  food  very  eatable  but  simple; 
in  fact,  we  are  always  ravenous,  the  air  gives  such  splendid 
appetite.  Very  few  tourists.  Some  English,  who  seem 
to  be  doing  the  ascents  more  as  a  task  than  a  pleasure. 
A  French  honeymoon  couple  who  are  most  amusing. 
They  seem  to  imagine  they  are  quite  alone  here. 

SEPTEMBER  22:  GENEVA 

I  left  Chamounix  with  great  regret.  The  Navilles  in- 
sisted on  our  paying  them  a  visit  of  a  few  days.  I  have 
been  to  see  my  cousins  the  Diodatis.  Lord  Byron  occu- 
pied the  villa  for  several  years  and  wrote  several  of  his 
poems  there.  They  tell  many  funny  stories  and  some  very 
odd  ones  about  him,  not  quite  fit  for  my  diary. 

"This  boy  was  the  famous  Count  Cavour  who  helped  to  make 
united  Italy. 


1822]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 
SEPTEMBER  24:  COPPET 

We  posted  here  to-day  from  Geneva  and  are  stopping 
the  night.  Such  a  truly  hearty  welcome  from  the  de 
Broglies  and  Auguste  de  Stael.  The  Duchesse  de  Luynes 
and  Monsieur  Rocca*  are  here.  It  seems  so  strange  to  be 
in  this  house  and  no  Madame  de  Stael.  Every  time  a 
door  opens  I  expect  to  see  her  enter.  We  leave  to- 
morrow for  Du  Rosey. 

SEPTEMBER  26 

A  large  shooting  party  arranged  in  the  Jura  to-morrow. 
Blackcock  is  the  principal  game.  We  start  at  daylight, 
which  is  about  3  o'clock. 

SEPTEMBER  28 

A  delightful  day  and  really  quite  a  large  bag.  Twenty- 
eight  blackcock,  sixteen  miscellaneous  birds,  four  foxes, 
seventeen  hares,  two  rats.  A  picnic-luncheon  and  more 
champagne  than  was  good  for  us;  this  was  in  my  honour. 

SEPTEMBER  29 

I  leave  to-morrow  for  Saconnex  to  pay  a  visit  to  the 
Budes;  my  friend  Jules  writes  to  me  to  be  discreet,  that 
he  is  like  a  bird  in  a  cage  when  at  home.  I  will  leave  here 
with  regret,  but  I  must  be  making  my  way  back  to  Paris. 
I  feel  it  is  my  duty. 

SEPTEMBER  30 

Monsieur  Du  Rosey  and  his  sons  accompanied  me  part  of 
the  way  and  Eugene  and  Jules  de  Bude  met  me  and  drove 
me  here.  Jules  confided  in  me  that  they  were  going  to  have 
a  soiree  in  my  honour,  adding  "  Mais  les  jeunes  files  ne 
sont  pas  meme  decolletees."  He  is  incorrigible.  After  an 
excellent  supper  and  a  most  genuinely  hearty  welcome 
I  retired  early.  I  am  now  writing  between  the  most 
deliciously  lavender-smelling  sheets. 

*  Second  husband  of  Madame  de  Stael. 
216 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

OCTOBER  2:  SACONNEX 

The  soiree  after  all  was  very  amusing.  Notwithstanding 
the  jeunes  files  wore  bright  spencers  they  were  so  per- 
fectly natural  and  so  thoroughly  enjoyed  themselves. 
They  have  far  more  liberty  than  French  girls.  I  think 
I  must  take  to  myself  a  Swiss  wife ! 

OCTOBER  7:  DIJON 

After  a  really  charming  visit  I  left  Saconnex,  slept  one 
night  in  Geneva.  What  delicious  Burgundy  is  obtainable 
here !  It  is  such  a  delicate  wine  that  transport  changes 
the  flavour.  I  have  a  very  pleasant  travelling  com- 
panion who  is  on  his  way  to  the  Embassy  in  Paris;  he 
has  been  at  Berne  and  has  risen  a  step — his  name  is 
Cornwallis.  He  has  not  borrowed  any  money  from  me 
as  yet,  so  I  believe  he  is  genuine. 

OCTOBER  14:  PARIS 

After  several  halts,  arrived  last  night.  Father  very  well. 
He  was  pleased  to  see  me  back.  I  found  plenty  of  work 
to  do,  and  have  been  hard  at  it  all  day.  Matters  political 
in  America  are  anything  but  satisfactory.  Unless 
there  is  some  radical  change,  I  hope  we  will  not  return. 
Albert  has  written  that  the  new  house  is  in  process  of 
building.  As  there  is  no  architect  to  superintend  it  I 
fear  it  will  be  a  strange  building.  Father  has  sent  out 
marble  mantel-pieces,  &c.  I  dare  not  say  so,  but  rather 
out  of  place  in  Western  Virginia.  I  told  how  in  Geneva 
all  his  relations  hoped  he  would  return  there  and  settle 
down.  When  I  told  him  this  there  was  a  wistful  look 
in  his  eyes. 

OCTOBER  16 

We  can  do  so  little  now  as  the  Government  is  entirely 
taken  up  with  the  war  with  Spain.  At  first  it  was 
thought  it  would  be  disastrous  to  France,  but  opinion  has 
now  changed.  England  has  remained  absolutely  neutral. 

217 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

OCTOBER  17 

Absolutely  no  work  to  do,  always  the  same  life  here. 
I  can  hardly  realize  we  have  been  here  for  six  years.  I 
have  quite  made  up  my  mind  not  to  remain  with  another 
Minister.  I  feel  I  ought  to  be  "up  and  doing"  and 
make  a  career  for  myself. 

OCTOBER  19 

I  have  persuaded  father  to  take  a  good  rest,  and  he  has 
consented.  Having  remained  in  Paris  all  summer  he  is 
looking  very  white  and  tired.  To  my  great  pleasure  he 
proposed  that  we  (he  and  I)  should  go  to  Bourg  and  see 
the  fine  Palace  of  Jacques  Cceur — this  has  been  a  pleasure 
long  postponed. 

OCTOBER  20 

We  are  going  in  our  own  coach.  I  have  to-day  seen 
about  the  relays  of  horses.  Father  takes  his  man  Garden, 
and  I  take  Lucien.  It  is  a  good  four  days'  journey. 

OCTOBER  25 

It  has  indeed  repaid  us  to  come  here.  I  never  realized 
what  Renaissance  architecture  was,  and  what  a  won- 
derful man  was  Coeur — almost  a  magician.  His  origin 
is  hardly  known — but  at  one  time  the  richest  man  in 
France,  until  Charles  VII  stripped  him  of  his  fortune 
to  carry  on  his  wars  against  the  English,  then  by  way 
of  gratitude  threw  him  into  a  prison  on  a  trumoed-up 
charge  of  poisoning  Agnes  Sorel,  the  former's  mistress. 
He  was  absolved  of  this  charge.  Went  to  the  East  and 
made  another  fortune.  One  of  his  daughters  married  a 
Lenthene,  their  daughter  Agnes  a  Tudert,  and  Sarah 
Tudert  a  Gallatin,  our  direct  ancestor. 

OCTOBER  26 

We  have  been  all  day  roaming  about  the  chateau  which 
is  a  marvel  of  carving  and  decoration.  Father  has  also 

218 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1822 

been  studying  the  archives  of  Bourg  and  has  found 
much  of  interest.  The  auberge  is  very  clean — good  beds 
and  food.  The  place  is  absolutely  a  city  of  the  dead. 
I  go  to  bed  at  10  o'clock. 

OCTOBER  27 

We  have  made  a  few  excursions  in  the  environs  to-day — 
it  is  not  a  very  pretty  country.  I  have  not  seen  a  single 
pretty  woman — how  do  the  men  exist? 

OCTOBER  28 

We  are  leaving  for  Paris  to-morrow  by  an  entirely  different 
route  which  he  has  mapped  out.  I  have  thoroughly 
enjoyed  this  quiet  time  with  him,  he  is  always  interesting 
and  I  know  that  I  can  always  learn  something  from 
him  which  improves  me.  For  the  first  time,  he  has 
mentioned  his  first  wife  to  me.  She  evidently  was  the 
real  love  of  his  life.  They  were  only  married  a  few 
months  when  she  died.  Now  I  understand  why  he 
wishes  to  return  to  Western  Virginia:  she  died  and  was 
buried  there.  I  do  not  think  he  has  ever  mentioned 
her  name  to  mamma.  Her  memory  is  a  sort  of  sacred 
cult  to  him.  It  seems  there  was  no  doctor  within  reach; 
he  dared  not  leave  her,  and  she  died  in  great  suffering 
in  his  arms. 

NOVEMBER  4 

Back  again  and  settled  down  to  work.  Mamma  and 
Frances  returned  this  morning.  They  have  been  all 
the  summer  on  the  Loire  paying  visits.  Frances  looks 
so  well.  Mamma's  temper  is  slightly  uncertain — her 
first  remark  to  me  was:  "How  your  hair  has  fallen 
out."  "Let  me  look  at  your  teeth;  they're  going 
too."  I  replied  with  a  Chesterfieldian  bow,  "We  all 
cannot  look  as  young  as  you  do."  She  snapped,  "You 
should  show  more  respect  for  your  mother."  She  is 
now  absorbed,  looking  over  all  the  new  autumn  fashion- 

219 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

plates  which  have  been  sent  to  her  by  her  couturiere. 
That  will  put  her  in  a  good  humour.  It  is  wonderful 
what  a  soothing  effect  the  prospect  of  a  new  frock  has 
upon  the  female  mind.  They  will  sell  their  very  soul 
for  a  new  bonnet. 

NOVEMBER  6 

We  were  much  surprised  this  morning  in  receiving  an 
invitation  from  the  Duchesse  de  Berri  for  a  soiree  intime 
in  her  apartments  in  the  Tuilleries  on  the  8th.  This 
is  the  first  invitation  she  has  honoured  us  with  since 
the  death  of  the  Duke. 

NOVEMBER  8 

We  dined  at  the  English  Embassy  yesterday — a  very 
large  company.  The  Marquis  and  Marquise  d'Osmond — 
they  have  just  returned  from  London  where  he  has  held 
the  post  of  French  Ambassador  for  a  long  time.  There 
were  some  rather  odd  stories  about  Madame  d'Osmond. 
Madame  de  Boigne,  their  daughter,  has  taken  a  large 
Hotel  in  the  Rue  Bonaparte.  Her  mother  and  father 
are  to  live  with  her,  not  that  she  needs  a  chaperone. 
The  Duchesse  de  Courland  was  another  of  the  guests; 
she  renewed  her  attentions  to  father;  I  suppose  that 
she  must  now  know  that  Pozzo  di  Borgo  hoaxed  her. 
I  sat  next  such  a  pretty  English  girl;  she  was  so  bright 
and  cheerful.  I  believe  she  is  a  niece  or  daughter  of 
Lord  Clanricarde.  Another  charming  girl  was  a  Miss 
Edwards,  daughter  of  Lord  Somebody,  whose  name  I 
did  not  catch.  She  took  a  great  fancy  to  Frances  and 
asked  to  be  allowed  to  call  to  see  her.  Mamma  told  her 
she  would  be  delighted  to  receive  her. 
The  gardens  of  the  embassy  are  beautiful.  The 
H6tel*  is  in  the  Faubourg  St.  Honore,  and  the  gardens 
run  to  the  Champs  Elysees.  I  believe  the  English 

*  The  Hotel  Borghe*se,  bought  by  the  Duke  of  Wellington  for  the 
English  Government  for  £36,000. 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1822 

Government  bought  it  for  some  absurdly  small  sum 
after  the  Revolution.  Why  is  it  so  many  English  women 
have  those  rabbit  teeth?  it  quite  spoils  their  beauty. 

NOVEMBER  9 

The  soiree  at  the  Duchesse  de  Bern's  was  very  gay. 
She  had  a  band  of  Neapolitan  singers  and  dancers  in 
costume,  a  great  novelty  for  Paris.  The  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme  was  present  and  was  more  unbending  than 
I  have  ever  seen  her  before.  I  do  not  think  she  quite 
approved  of  the  sans  fa$on  style  of  the  entertainment. 
Neither  the  Due  nor  Monsieur  were  present.  The  Duchesse 
de  Berri  has  grown  fat,  but  has  improved  in  her  looks. 
She  is  very  loud,  was  dressed  abominably  and  has  lost 
her  figure.  Many  lovers  are  assigned  to  her,  but  I  never 
believe  half  I  hear.  The  Due  and  Duchesse  d'Orleans 
were  both  present,  all  was  over  at  1  o'clock.  We  danced 
until  midnight,  when  supper  was  served.  The  Palace  is 
so  very  dirty,  it  has  not  been  cleaned  for  years.  I  hear 
the  Royal  Family  are  all  moving  to  St.  Cloud  and  the 
Tuilleries  is  to  be  entirely  cleansed.  I  am  sure  it  is 
not  healthy. 

NOVEMBER  10 

I  am  seriously  thinking  of  going  in  for  the  Diplomatic 
Service.  Commencing  as  I  have  at  such  an  early  age, 
I  have  already  acquired  some  useful  knowledge.  Father 
hopes  that  a  regular  Diplomatic  Service  will  be  organized 
in  America  the  same  as  in  other  countries.  In  any  case 
I  believe  I  would  always  be  employed  by  the  Government. 
Some  relations  sent  mamma  some  live  terrapin  from 
Baltimore.  Frances  and  I  took  out  two  into  the  garden 
and  tried  to  make  them  race — Frances's  won.  It  seemed 
to  cheer  them  up  after  their  long  sea  voyage. 

NOVEMBER  12 

I  was  to  shoot  at  Fontainebleau  but  the  rain  has  not 
ceased  for  two  days.  Monsieur  de  Lafayette  has  been  here 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

for  a  few  days,  and  he  does  not  seem  to  care  to  go  out  of 
the  house — he  is  very  mysterious  and  father  is  convinced 
that  he  has  some  new  plot.  He  was  closeted  with  Mr. 
Baring  for  several  hours  this  afternoon.  A  report  has 
just  come  that  the  King  is  very  ill  at  St.  Cloud.  The 
Court  was  to  have  returned  to  Paris  to-day  but  it  is  now 
postponed. 

NOVEMBER  13 

A  fine  day  at  last,  bright  sunshine.  Father  has  mapped 
out  a  regular  course  of  reading  for  me.  Books  on  diplo- 
macy. I  shut  myself  up  in  my  room  this  morning 
from  9  until  12.  I  hope  to  keep  this  up  every  day.  I 
gave  the  first  sitting  for  my  miniature  this  afternoon. 
Had  two  teeth  drawn — great  pain.  We  heard  to-day  that 
Mrs.  Robert  Patterson  is  going  to  marry  the  Marquis 
of  Wellesley,  the  Duke  of  Wellington's  brother;  he  is 
Lord-Lieutenant  of  Ireland.  Madame  Bonaparte  will 
burst  with  envy. 

NOVEMBER  16 

Miss  Edwards  and  Cornwallis  dined  with  us  to-day, 
the  former  is  a  daughter  of  Lord  Kensington,  she  and 
Frances  have  struck  up  a  great  friendship.  Unfortu- 
nately she  is  leaving  shortly  for  England,  and  returning 
after  the  Christmas  holidays.  She  has  invited  Frances 
to  go  back  with  her,  and  Lady  Kensington  has  written 
to  mamma  requesting  her  to  allow  Frances  to  accompany 
her  daughter.  Mamma  will  not  give  her  consent.  WThen 
father  heard  of  it  he  said,  "  All  women  have  unreasonable 


NOVEMBER  17 

The  Duchesse  de  Courland  called  this  morning,  abso- 
lutely forced  her  way  in.  Father  was  greatly  an- 
noyed and  had  great  difficulty  in  getting  rid  of  her.  I 
have  been  all  the  afternoon  at  Alfred's,  my  tailor's. 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1822 

He  is  making  me  some  coats  and  pantaloons  of  the 
latest  fashion.  I  must  either  eat  less  or  wear  a  whale- 
bone belt.  Alfred  is  in  despair;  he  says  my  figure 
takes  all  the  soul  out  of  his  creations.  Lucien  is  in  trouble 
and  has  confessed  to  me — this  time  it  is  a  married  woman 
and  the  husband  has  found  everything  out.  Mamma 
has  discovered  an  old  nigger  cook,  an  escaped  slave, 
and  has  promptly  engaged  her.  Simply  to  cook  hominy, 
Maryland  chicken,  buckwheat  cakes  and  waffles.  If 
I  eat  much  of  this  fare,  no  whalebone  belt  will  keep  me 
in  bounds  and  the  great  Alfred  will  commit  suicide. 

NOVEMBER  20 

There  are  extraordinary  stories,  more  or  less  true,  of  the 
immense  sums  that  Madame  du  Cayla  has  obtained  from 
the  poor  King.  Sosthene  de  la  Rochefoucauld  was,  and 
some  say  is  still,  her  lover;  he  has  carried  through  all 
her  disgraceful  intrigues  against  the  Government.  The 
Due  de  Richelieu  had  the  greatest  contempt  for  her 
and  did  not  disguise  it.  The  last  scandal  of  Madame  Berna- 
dotte,  Queen  of  Sweden,  is  that  when  poor  Monsieur  de 
Richelieu  went  into  the  country  she  followed  him,  stopping 
at  all  the  auberges  that  he  did.  What  is  incomprehensible 
is  that  Bernadotte  allowed  her  to  behave  as  she  did. 
But  it  seems  he  is  only  too  delighted  to  get  rid  of  her. 
Father  says  when  he  first  saw  him  he  was  a  coarse, 
vulgar  creature,  without  manners  and  totally  without 
education.  I  believe  the  only  descendant  of  the  last 
King  of  Sweden  is  the  Queen  of  Wurtemberg.  I  must 
ask  Comte  de  Gallatin  about  him.  I  suppose  some  day 
the  descendants  of  Bernadotte  will  rank  with  the  other 
Royal  Families  of  Europe. 

NOVEMBER  22 

We  dined  yesterday  with  the  Due  and  Duchesse  de 
Montmorency.  They  have  not  lived  together  for  many 
years.  He  was  seized  with  a  religious  mania.  She  has 


1822]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

now  fallen  violently  in  love  with  him;  it  is  absurd  to  see 
her  behaviour  in  public.  It  makes  it  far  worse  as  she 
is  an  extremely  ugly  woman.  He  on  the  contrary  is 
known  as  the  handsomest  man  in  France. 

NOVEMBER  30,  1822 

This  I  fear  will  be  our  last  Christmas  and  New  Year  in 
Paris;  as  far  as  I  can  look  ahead  we  will  be  in  Western 
Virginia  this  time  next  year.  What  an  extraordinary 
change  it  will  be.  I  often  ask  myself,  was  it  right  to  bring 
me,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  abroad  ?  To  lead  a  life  absolutely 
different  from  that  at  home.  To  accustom  me  to  luxury 
and  excitement.  I  never  like  to  question  what  he  does, 
but  sometimes  I  fear  he  made  a  mistake.  Here  I  am  at  the 
age  of  twenty-five,  without  any  future  mapped  out  for  me, 
accustomed  to  simply  wasting  my  time  in  an  everlasting 
routine  of  enjoyment.  He  is  wise  and  may  be  perfectly 
right — that  I  will  tire  of  this  life  and  will  be  only  too 
glad  to  settle  down  to  a  quiet  and  rational  existence. 
Naturally  with  his  influence  he  can  always  place  me  in 
some  good  position.  Last  year  Alexander  Baring  offered 
to  take  me  into  his  banking  house  in  London,  but  father 
seems  to  cling  to  me  and  if  I  once  went  to  London  in  all 
probability  we  would  be  separated  for  years.  It  would 
never  enter  my  heart  to  do  anything  to  displease  him 
or  cause  him  a  moment's  pain. 

DECEMBER  2 

Frances  has  begged  to  have  a  soiree  on  Christmas  Eve. 
So  that  is  settled.  We  are  going  to  act  a  little  fairy- 
tale, which  I  think  will  be  very  pretty. 

DECEMBER  4 

More  and  more  invitations — the  trouble  is  that  most  of 
them  are  from  the  Corps  Diplomatique  and  we  cannot 
refuse. 

Several  pages  entirely  ruined  by  dampness.— EDITOR. 

224 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

Tried  on  four  pairs  pantaloons  and  two  coats  to-day. 
Alfred  is  pleased  that  I  am  thinner. 
Father  seems  much  disgusted  by  news  from  America. 
He  has  not  told  me  what  it  is,  but  I  believe  it  has  to  do 
with  the  Presidential  Election.  Mr.  Adams  has  written 
me  a  very  friendly  letter,  asking  me  what  my  opinion  is 
with  regard  to  father,  and  hinting  that  a  place  in  the 
new  Cabinet  would  be  found  for  him  if  Mr.  Crawford  is 
returned.  I  do  not  think  this  is  quite  right  as  they  are 
both  opposed  in  political  opinions  and  belong  to  opposite 
parties.  I  cannot  gauge  his  reason  for  writing.  I 
know  in  his  heart  of  hearts  he  has  a  very  strong  opinion 
of  father's  ability.  I  have  not  mentioned  the  receipt 
of  the  letter  to  father  and  will  answer  it  without  com- 
mitting myself  in  any  way.  I  fully  recognize  the  fact 
that  it  is  quite  useless  to  remain  here.  Father  is  simply 
wasted.  Any  one  can  fill  the  post  as  there  is  absolutely 
nothing  to  do.  Father  is  deeply  occupied  in  writing 
some  pamphlet,  and  so  absorbed  is  he  that  at  times  I 
really  believe  he  forgets  he  is  in  France. 

DECEMBER  6 

Our  poor  old  nigger,  Mamie,  had  a  stroke  to-day,  her 
lower  limbs  are  paralysed.  The  doctors  think  she  will 
recover.  I  went  up  to  see  her  in  her  room.  As  I  ap- 
proached I  heard  her  singing  and  waited  to  hear  the  words; 
they  were  repeated  over  and  over  again,  always  the  same. 
"Nobody  pity  me,  nobody  pity  me,  but  Jesus,  she  came 
riding  by  and  said,  '  Nigger  foller  me.'  "  Poor  old  soul. 
I  asked  her  how  old  she  was.  She  said,  "Perhaps 
twenty,  perhaps  a  hundred." 

DECEMBER  7 

I  find  I  can  only  write  every  two  days  in  my  dear  old 
diary.  Our  little  fairy-play  will,  I  think,  be  very  pretty. 
It  is  from  an  old  one  father  found  in  his  grandmother's 
papers,  and  was  acted  at  Cassell.  Of  course  there  is  a 

225 


1822]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

Princess  (this  is  Frances),  a  good  fairy  and  a  bad  one, 
a  naughty  boy  (myself),  a  Prince  and  a  host  of  fairies 
of  all  sizes.  I  have  borrowed  all  sorts  of  scenery,  &c. 
&c.,  from  the  property  man  at  the  opera.  Mamma  is 
in  her  element  with  the  dresses. 

DECEMBEE  8 

First  rehearsal  to-day.  Mamie  Kitty  has  recovered  the 
use  of  one  leg — the  guilty  footman  I  met  on  the  stairs 
with  a  large  bunch  of  violets.  The  French  are  so  good- 
hearted.  He  said  to  me,  "Excellence,  ce  n'est  ma  faute, 
nyest-ce-pas?" 
Skating  again,  but  I  have  not  been  out  as  yet. 

DECEMBER  9 

Father  had  a  long  talk  with  me  this  morning.  He  has 
quite  decided  to  return  in  the  spring  to  America.  The 
new  house  will  be  completed  and  we  will  bury  ourselves. 
I  will  not  remain  there  long. 

DECEMBER  10 

Have  been  skating  all  day.  Bright  sunshine,  but  very 
cold.  Katinka  Caumont  la  Force  as  energetic  as  ever. 
She  seems  very  happy. 

DECEMBER  12 

No  time  now  except  for  rehearsal — the  girls  will  chatter, 
so  I  have  offered  a  prize  to  the  one  who  keeps  her  tongue 
quiet  for  ten  minutes  at  a  time.  No  one  has  won  it  yet. 

DECEMBER  15 

Between  rehearsals  and  skating  I  don't  seem  to  have 
time  for  anything  else.  If  it  were  summer  we  could  have 
had  our  play  in  the  garden,  still  the  ball-room  is  quite  large 
enough.  We  have  invited  four  hundred  guests.  Before  the 
play  the  two  de  Lussac  girls,  a  Clermont-Tonnerre,  Mile 
de  Montesquieu  and  two  Gallatins  are  going  to  dance 

226 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

such  a  pretty  pavane.  The  dancing  mistress  of  the 
opera  is  teaching  them.  They  are  to  be  poudrees.  It 
will  be  all  "milk  and  water,"  but  pretty.  Many  of  my 
suggestions  have  been  scouted  with  horror.  The  only 
person  who  backs  me  up  at  all  is  Pozzo  di  Borgo.  He 
says:  "Mais  pourquoi  pas?"  He  does  not  know 
mamma. 

DECEMBER  16 

Skating  all  the  morning.  A  thaw  has  set  in.  A  venture- 
some Frenchman  was  boldly  pushing  one  of  the  sledges 
with  his  fiancee  in  it,  when  crack  went  the  ice  and  in  they 
went,  only  about  two  feet  of  water.  Both  shrieked  "sauvez- 
nous."  We  sensibly  answered  "walk  to  the  bank." 
When  they  did  manage  to  climb  up,  they  were  received 
by  their  respective  mammas  and  papas,  hugged  and 
embraced  as  if  they  had  escaped  a  great  danger. 

DECEMBER  16 

Obliged  to  go  to  a  reception  at  the  Spanish  Embassy. 
Father  insisted  upon  my  accompanying  him.  A  great 
crowd.  The  Orleans  family  were  present.  Talleyrand 
looked  like  an  old  rat.  I  hate  the  sight  of  him. 

DECEMBER  21 

Father  has  just  had  an  official  note  that  Monsieur  de 
Montmorency  has  resigned  from  his  post  of  Minister  of 
Foreign  Affairs  and  that  Monsieur  de  Villele  is  to  keep 
the  place  warm  for  Monsieur  de  Chateaubriand.  This 
has  amazed  him  exceedingly.  The  continual  changing 
of  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  absolutely  places  the 
negotiations  re  the  Indemnity  claims  at  a  standstill;  after 
Monsieur  de  Montmoreney's  pledges  given  to  father  in 
July  it  is  not  just  or  straightforward.  Father  has  sent 
a  very  strong  note  couched  in  these  terms  to  Monsieur 
de  Villele. 

227 


1822]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

DECEMBER  23 

All  is  now  ready  and  our  last  rehearsal  will  take  place 
to-night.  This  morning  Madame  de  Boigne  called.  The 
Duchesse  d'Orleans  had  intimated  to  her  that  they  would 
like  to  see  our  little  play.  Of  course  father  went  at  once 
in  person  and  apologized  on  the  score  that  he  did  not  think 
the  little  entertainment  worthy  of  their  Royal  Highnesses. 
Begged  they  would  honour  him  with  their  presence. 
They  are  all  coming. 

CHRISTMAS  DAY 

The  pavane  and  fairy-tale  were  really  charming  and 
far  surpassed  what  I  had  expected.  The  moving  trees 
in  the  play  were  a  great  novelty.  They  were  worked  by 
small  fairies,  which  I  had  trained.  When  Frances  ap- 
peared riding  a  wee  white  donkey  led  by  fairies  the  Due 
led  off  the  applause,  which  was  very  hearty.  Frances 
did  look  lovely  and  acted  so  well.  After  all  was  over 
the  Due  and  Duchesse  and  Mademoiselle  stood  by  the 
fire-place  and  we  (the  actors)  all  defiled  before  them. 
Their  congratulations  were  very  hearty. 

DECEMBER  26 

We  had  a  quiet  Christmas  dinner — some  waifs  and  strays 
that  mamma  had  invited. 


DECEMBER  28 

I  have  promised  to  go  to  a  supper  to  see  the  New  Year  in, 
as  I  am  nearly  certain  this  will  be  our  last  New  Year  in 
Paris — Paris  that  I  adore,  Paris  that  has  at  last  taught 
me  that  there  is  more  in  life  than  frivolity  and  amuse- 
ment. Father  is  wise.  I  know  he  wished  both  Albert 
and  myself  away  from  any  town  in  America.  Paris 
has  taught  me  much  and  I  think  now  I  will  profit  by  the 
lesson. 

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DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1823 

DECEMBER  SO 

I  went  with  mamma  to-day  in  a  common  coach.  To-day 
she  took  all  her  New  Year  offerings  to  some  poor  Ameri- 
cans. She  is  so  truly  kind.  Hampers  of  food,  clothes, 
&c.  &c.  She  did  not  even  forget  the  children,  and  had 
toys  for  them  all.  Frances  has  a  cold  or  would  have  gone 
with  us.  I  dread  a  tedious  dinner  at  the  de  la  Roche- 
foucaulds'.  All  of  us  are  bidden. 

JANUARY  2,  1823 

I  have  been  too  busy  to  write  a  line  in  my  diary. 
The  usual  Court  defile  on  New  Year's  Day.  The  King 
looking  very  ill  and  did  not  seem  to  take  any  interest 
in  anything.  Madame  du  Cayla  triumphant  by  his  side. 
It  seemed  such  a  strange  thing,  as  if  she  were  his  wife. 
We  dined  with  Pozzo  di  Borgo  at  the  Embassy;  nearly  all 
Russians,  a  Monsieur  Narishkin,  the  greatest  noble  in 
Russia,  but  who  bears  no  title,  his  card  is  simply  "Narish- 
kin." It  is  very  strange,  but  Russians  are  only  semi- 
civilized.  Perfect  manners,  external  polish — the  moment 
they  have  just  a  little  too  much  to  drink,  the  savage 
comes  out.  Very  true  the  saying  is,  "  Scratch  the  Russian 
and  find  the  Tartar."  Such  a  round  of  calls  for  the  New 
Year  commencing  at  the  Palais  Royale,  all  the  Diplo- 
matic Corps,  &c. — it  took  us  the  whole  day. 

JANUARY  5 

I  have  had  a  sore  throat  and  not  able  to  go  out  for  the  last 
three  days.  Disquieting  letters  from  Albert  in  America. 
Father  has  quite  decided  to  return  to  America  and  give 
up  his  post  here.  Mr.  Astor,  with  great  courage,  has  writ- 
ten begging  him  to  remain.  Rather  amusing  as  it  is 
evidently  for  his  own  interests,  as  he  is  shortly  coming  to 
Paris. 

Miss  Edwards  comes  to  stay  with  us  for  a  month  on 
Friday.  I  am  pleased  for  Frances's  sake  as  I  fear  she  is 
a  little  dull  being  so  hemmed  in  by  les  convenances. 


1823]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 
JANUARY  6 

Katinka  Galitzin  (Caumont  la  Force)  had  a  baby  last 
night.  Oddly  enough  the  sex  is  not  yet  decided. 

JANUARY  8 

My  throat  all  right  again.  Miss  Edwards  has  postponed 
her  arrival  until  the  12th.  I  go  to  Fontainebleau  for 
four  days  for  the  chase. 

JANUARY  10:  FONTAINEBLEAU 

Perfect  weather.  We  are  a  large  party,  several  ladies 
for  the  first  time.  The  rage  is  now  to  gamble — the 
tables  are  set  out  directly  after  dinner,  which  is  over 
at  8  o'clock.  They  play  until  11.30  and  then  supper 
is  announced.  The  moment  it  is  over  back  again  to 
the  tables.  The  favourite  game  is  "Boston";  it  was 
invented  I  believe  by  the  officers  on  the  French  ship  of 
war  in  Boston  Harbour.  I,  without  being  noticed,  steal 
off  to  bed  after  supper  as  I  do  not  gamble,  so  find  it  very 
tedious. 

JANUARY  12 

Madame  Carillon  la  Tour  lost  the  skirt  of  her  riding  dress 
to-day,  it  caught  in  a  low  bough  of  a  tree  and  was  literally 
torn  off.  There  fortunately  was  a  coach  close  at  hand, 
as  we  were  near  to  the  Grande  Pharamond.  She  did 
not  appear  at  dinner.  The  daughter-in-law  of  the  Prince 
de  Poix  had  an  altercation  at  the  gambling  table  and 
slapped  Madame  de  Montesquieu's  face — the  Comtesse 
de  Maille  lost  very  highly  and  burst  into  tears,  saying 
she  was  ruined.  How  gambling  debases  people.  The 
gentlest  of  women  becomes  a  virago  when  she  is  gambling. 
A  noisy  supper — soon  after  I  was  off  to  bed. 

JANUARY  13 

Horrid  adventure  last  night.  I  have  had  just  the  ghost  of 
an  intrigue  with  a  certain  lady  who  is  here  with  her  sister. 

230 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1823 

She  had  made  an  appointment  for  me  to  come  to  her 
room  after  all  was  quiet  in  the  house.  I  arrayed  myself 
in  a  large  flowered  damask  dressing-gown  (made  of  an 
old  frock  of  mamma's)  and  sallied  forth  a  Vaventure. 
All  went  well.  I  found  the  room;  the  door  was  slightly 
ajar.  Entering  I  locked  it,  the  key  snapped  off  short 
in  the  lock.  Horror  of  horrors!  No  other  means  of 
exit.  Too  high  for  me  to  jump  out  of  the  window.  We 
were  at  our  wits'  end;  quoi  fairef  After  much  thought 
I  decided  on  a  plan — Madame  de  L.  was  to  knock  loudly  on 
the  door  the  moment  she  heard  the  servants  moving  in 
the  morning.  I  was  to  lie  perdu.  She,  after  the  door 
was  opened,  to  go  to  her  sister's  room  which  was  on  the 
floor  above,  taking  the  servant  with  her.  All  went  well 
until  I  emerged  from  the  room.  I  saw  four  distinct 
heads  looking  out  of  four  doors,  nothing  to  be  done  but 
to  make  a  bolt  for  it,  which  I  did;  I  do  not  think  they 
recognized  me.  As  soon  as  I  reached  my  room  I  kindled 
the  fire  and  burnt  my  dressing-gown  as  that  could  easily 
be  identified.  I  am  now  waiting  events.  We  are  just 
off  to  the  chase. 

JANUARY  15 

Last  evening  at  dinner  Monsieur  de  Champeau  suddenly 
asked,  "  Who  has  a  red  and  green  damask  dressing-gown  ?  " 
nobody  responded.  Tour  du  Pain  said,  "How  odd,  I 
certainly  have  seen  one,"  still  no  answer.  Madame 
de  Castries  turned  to  me  and  said,  "What  colour  is  your 
dressing-gown?"  I  blandly  answered  "rose":  the  old 
cat,  she  must  have  been  looking  out  of  her  door.  Madame 
de  Cosse  Brissac  exclaimed,  "I  certainly  saw  a  figure 
in  a  most  gorgeous  red  and  green  damask  gown  in  the 
corridor." 

I  had  confided  my  adventure  to  George  Caraman.  He 
had  two  dressing-gowns  with  him  and  had  lent  me  his 
"rose"  one  so  I  feel  perfectly  safe.  Madame  de  Castries 
said,  "The  only  way  to  decide  this  was  for  all  the 


1823]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

gentlemen  to  retire  and  to  put  on  their  dressing-gowns 
and  to  defile  before  the  ladies."  This  we  did — and  re- 
turned to  the  salon.  Shouts  of  laughter  when  old 
Comte  de  Laval  appeared  in  a  dressing-gown  of  broad 
green  and  red  stripes.  He  is  the  brother  of  Madame  de 
Brissac;  she  instantly  said,  "That  is  not  the  one,  it  was 
large  flowers  of  red,  green  and  gold."  Madame  de 
Castries  instantly  said,  "You  know  more  about  the 
pattern  than  anybody  else,  so  it  must  have  been  from 
your  room  that  I  saw  the  gentleman  emerge  at  6  o'clock 
this  morning."  Madame  de  B.  answered,  "At  least 
respect  my  age."  This  was  received  with  shouts  of 
laughter. 

JANUARY  16 

Paris,  arrived  home  late  this  afternoon  and  had  to  dress 
with  all  haste  to  take  mamma  and  Frances  to  a  concert 
at  the  Palais  Royale.  Father  had  intended  to  accom- 
pany them,  but  he  has  had  a  cold.  Katinka's  baby  has 
declared  itself — it  is  a  boy. 

JANUARY  18 

The  concert  very  fine.  Grande  toilette.  All  the  Corps 
Diplomatique;  a  host  of  English;  the  Countess  of  Stafford 
whom  I  had  met  at  Coppet  in  1815.  She  recognized  me 
at  once  and  was  most  gracious  saying,  "I  can  no  longer 
call  you  Cupid."  Father  has  bidden  mother  to  invite 
her  to  dinner  for  the  26th.  Also  the  Due  and  Duchesse 
d'Orleans  and  Mademoiselle.  He  has  told  me  to  make 
out  a  list  of  the  people  whom  I  think  will  best  suit,  and 
to  submit  it  to  him,  so  that  he  can  forward  it  to 
the  Palais  Royale  for  their  approval. 

JANUARY  19 

A  hard  frost.  Skated  this  afternoon.  Opera  in  the 
evening.  Frances  ate  too  many  candies  and  had  indi- 
gestion, so  could  not  go.  Mamma  had  her  put  to  bed 

232 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1823 

before  we  started.  Letters  from  Albert  not  satisfactory. 
I  am  going  to-morrow  to  consult  Alfred  about  my 
costume  for  the  26th.  It  is  very  late  and  I  have  just 
finished  drafting  some  dispatches  to  Mr.  Rush.  They 
were  laid  out  on  my  table  where  I  found  them  on  my 
return  from  the  opera.  Mile  Favier  looked  with  favour 
upon  me.  I  will  send  her  some  flowers  to-morrow. 

JANUARY  20 

Sent  Mile  Favier  some  flowers,  cost  me  20  francs; 
hidden  in  them  a  little  "could  I  would  she"  billet-doux. 
I  will  await  results. 

JANUARY  21 

No  answer  as  yet.  I  will  go  to  the  opera  to-night;  she 
is  dancing.  Father  is  disgusted  with  the  childish  be- 
haviour of  the  French  Ministry.  If  they  would  only 
give  a  decided  answer  one  way  or  the  other,  he  would 
then  know  the  position  he  stood  in.  Still  no  answer  to 
my  note.  Last  night  she  did  not  even  look  at  me.  A 
louis  thrown  away. 

JANUARY  22 

All  our  guests  have  accepted  for  the  26th.  The  Due 
approved  the  lisi^  In  fact,  I  believe  he  never  alters  one 
sent  by  an  Ambassador  or  Minister  of  a  foreign  Power. 
We  are  having  a  tented  room  built  over  the  garden, 
for  the  music. 

JANUARY  23 

An  extraordinary  note  from  Madame  de  Boigne  saying 
she  supposed  her  invitation  must  have  miscarried,  but 
that  she  accepted  with  pleasure;  quoi  fairef  We  now 
have  to  find  another  man  to  balance  the  table.  A  note 
has  just  been  brought  to  me  from  Mile  F.,  would  I  sup 
with  her  on  the  26th — was  there  ever  such  luck?  I 
will  try  to  see  her  to  explain.  We  do  not  dine  until 

233 


1823]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

8  o'clock  and  the  Orleans  always  stop  very  late.  Alber- 
tine  de  Broglie  has  just  offered  the  loan  of  her  fine  plate. 

JANUARY  24 

Father  has  just  put  his  veto  on  our  using  the  de  Broglie's 
plate  so  kindly  offered.  He  dislikes  anything  like  show 
or  pretence  in  any  way.  Mamma  is  sad  and  silent.  I 
went  this  afternoon  and  parted  with  another  louis  d'or 
and  literally  laid  some  flowers  at  the  Favier's  feet. 
She  was  at  home  and  received  me  most  graciously.  I 
explained  how  I  was  situated  and  with  great  grace  she 
begged  me  not  to  apologize  but  to  come  to  supper  the 
next  night.  The  louis  was  well  spent  after  all.  I  can- 
not but  feel  sorry  for  the  Bonapartists.  They  are  barely 
recognized.  Even  their  showy  titles  are  not  given  to 
them.  There  is  a  son  of  the  Emperor,  a  Count  Walewski, 
his  mother  was  a  Pole.  He  is  quite  young,  a  handsome 
lad,  and  is  being  well  brought  up.  One  of  our  guests  on 
the  26th  is  the  Countess  de  Flahaut,  she  is  very  old. 
Her  son  was  the  lover  of  Queen  Hortense,  the  wife  of 
Louis  Bonaparte,  King  of  Holland.  She  has  a  son  by 
Flahaut.  The  old  Madame  de  Flahaut  was  born  Souza- 
Bothelo,  and  is  a  very  grand  dame.  Her  coach  is  the 
finest  in  Paris  after  the  King's — four  footmen  standing 
up  behind.  She  looks  like  a  mummy.  Very  cold. 
Father  sent  for  me  this  afternoon  to  copy  some  dis- 
patches for  him  in  post-haste.  I  do  hope  he  is  not  going 
to  be  drawn  into  political  life  again.  I  said  quite  inno- 
cently to  mamma,  "  So  Katinka's  child  is  a  boy  after  all." 
Mamma  answered,  "The  Princess  wrote  to  me  it  was  a 
girl."  I  replied,  "The  Prince  told  me  yesterday  it  was  a 
boy."  Seeing  mamma  was  beginning  to  show  unmis- 
takable signs  of  strong  character  I  cried,  "A  truce, 
she  must  have  had  twins." 

JANUARY  26 

Everything  is  in  a  bustle  and  a  hustle.  It  is  not  an  easy 
matter  to  entertain  at  dinner  sixty  people  when  the  house- 

234 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1823 

hold  is  not  a  very  large  one.  Chevet  is  doing  the  main 
part  of  the  cooking.  Our  Russian  glass  is  very  fine;  it  was 
a  present  to  father  from  the  Tsar  Alexander.  Mile 
Favier  was  more  than  gracious.  I  will  see  more  of  her. 

JANUARY  27 

The  banquet  was  very  fine,  and  marked  by  great  simplicity 
in  comparison  with  those  at  the  Russian,  Spanish,  and 
English  Embassies.  The  Orleans  did  not  leave  until 
after  midnight. 

All  the  heads  of  the  Corps  Diplomatique  were  present  with 
their  ladies.  The  Marchioness  of  Stafford  wore  very  mag- 
nificent, superb  jewels.  She  is  so  absolutely  simple  and 
unaffected,  but  such  a  great  lady.  The  dinner  was 
excellent.  Music  just  loud  enough.  Mamma  radiant. 
The  Due  d'Orleans  speaks  such  perfect  English  and  as  she 
had  the  English  Ambassador  on  her  left  she  was  quite 
at  her  ease.  Monsieur  de  Lafayette,  who  is  well  received 
at  the  Palais  Royale,  was  present.  The  Due  d'Orleans 
expressed  great  regret  to  both  father  and  to  mamma  that 
we  were  returning  to  America.  Father  has  only  applied 
for  six  months'  leave  and  will  await  the  turn  of  events. 
Albert  is  most  anxious  for  him  to  see  the  new  home,  which 
has  cost  far  more  than  father  had  estimated. 

JANUARY  29 

As  this  is  our  last  Carnival  I  am  going  to  try  to  amuse 
myself,  but  I  have  not  much  heart  for  it.  I  frankly  own 
I  dread  returning  to  America.  I  have  no  friends  of  my  own 
age  there,  nothing  in  common  with  the  young  American 
men.  They  are  all  absorbed  in  making  money.  The 
idea  of  being  tied  down  to  a  counting-house  stool  after 
my  life  here  is  most  repugnant  to  me.  Father  cannot 
expect  me  to  settle  down  in  a  wild  country  without 
neighbours — absolutely  thrown  on  our  own  resources. 
Madame  de  Duras  and  Madame  de  Bethisy  called  on 
mamma  to-day,  the  former  to  express  the  regret  of  her 

235 


1823]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

Royal  mistress,  the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme,  and  the  latter 
that  of  the  Duchesse  deBerri,  at  our  approaching  departure. 
Madame  de  Duras  said  her  Royal  mistress  expressed 
a  desire  to  receive  mamma  and  Frances  absolutely 
privately — not  officially.  The  interview  is  to  be  on 
February  4.  It  is  certainly  most  gracious  of  her. 
Father  wishes  to  pay  a  short  visit  to  Geneva,  but 
the  weather  is  much  too  severe  at  present  for  him  to 
undertake  the  journey.  Frances  is  rather  elated  at  the 
idea  of  returning  to  America.  She  wants  the  freedom 
which  young  girls  enjoy  there.  I  can  quite  understand 
that.  Monsieur  de  Lafayette  has  informed  father  that 
he  intends  paying  his  last  visit  to  America.  This  will  be  at 
least  something  to  look  forward  to. 

JANUARY  30 

Easter  is  late  this  year.  The  Carnival  does  not  begin 
until  the  middle  of  next  month.  Rumours  that  the 
King  had  a  stroke  to-day,  but  not  yet  verified.  Madame 
Bonaparte  very  much  annoyed  with  father  for  leaving 
France  without  having  married  Frances  into  some  great 
family. 

FEBRUARY  2 

Always  some  petty  and  annoying  dispatches  from 
America  framed  by  Mr.  Adams.  I  really  think  he  spends 
his  idle  moments  in  writing  them,  simply  to  vent  his  spleen 
on  father  for  his  imaginary  grievances  at  Ghent.  A 
delightful  letter  from  Mr.  Rufus  King*  in  an  entirely 
different  strain.  Madame  Patterson  Bonaparte  was 
most  amusing  to-day  at  dinner  relating  all  her  experiences 
at  Rome  and  Florence  with  the  Bonaparte  family. 
Madame  Mere  she  prefers  to  them  all,  saying  she  is  a 
simple  Corsican  country  woman  with  common  sense. 
The  others,  she  says,  cannot  get  over  the  position  they 

*  Rufus  King,  grandfather  of   Madame  Waddington,  late  French 
ambassadress  at  the  Court  of  St.  James. 

236 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1823 

once  held,  and  in  everything  they  do,  show  their  bad 
breeding.  She  says  that  there  is  not  one  of  the  Em- 
peror's sisters  who  has  not  one  or  more  illegitimate  chil- 
dren and  that  they  seem  to  glory  in  it  instead  of  thinking 
it  a  disgrace.  It  seems  last  evening  she  was  at  the 
Russian  Embassy  when  the  Due  d'Orleans  was  an- 
nounced. She  at  once  tried  to  withdraw,  but  he  met  her  at 
the  door  and  made  her  a  low  bow  saying,  "Eon  soir, 
Princesse."  I  am  certain  she  was  flattered  or  she  would  not 
have  repeated  it.  A  dear  old  American  woman  called 
to-day;  she  has  a  great  desire  to  see  the  King  at  close 
quarters.  Father  was  so  impressed  by  her  simplicity 
and  sincerity  that  he  is  going  to  arrange  for  her  to  be  in 
one  of  the  rooms  his  Majesty  passes  through.  She  is 
from  the  West  and  told  father  she  had  actually  seen 
the  Dauphin  there  (Louis  XVII),  that  he  had  been  brought 
up  by  some  Indians  who  had  turned  Christian.  Father 
was  much  interested  as  she  described  the  clothes  he  had 
worn  when  he  came  to  America.  All  of  the  finest  quality; 
that  he  himself  could  not  remember  anything  beyond 
a  prison,  a  mob  and  a  very  beautiful  mother — also  great 
grief.  If  he  is  not  the  Dauphin  (which  father  doubts) 
he  must  be  the  child  of  some  great  noble  who  was  guillo- 
tined during  the  French  revolution.  Still  it  is  interesting. 
The  Duchesse  d'Angouleme  is  convinced  that  her  brother 
is  still  alive.  Father  thought  perhaps  of  introducing 
this  woman  to  her  presence,  but  on  maturer  thought 
thinks  it  would  perhaps  be  unwise  to  open  fresh  wounds. 
His  belief  is  that  this  child  may  be  the  son  of  the  Due 
de  Bourbon,  or  some  other  Bourbon. 

FEBRUARY  3 

Very  cold  again.  Skating  on  the  Petit  Lac.  I  miss 
Katinka,  who  was  always  such  a  cheerful  companion. 
Madame  Bonaparte  has  been  extolling  the  beauty  of  a 
Mile  Josephine  Pascault,  the  daughter  of  the  Marquis 
de  Poleon,  who  lives  in  Baltimore.  She  says  to  see  her 

237 


1823]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

is  to  fall  in  love  with  her.  She  is  the  youngest  sister 
of  Madame  Reubel,  who  was  the  great  friend  of  Madame 
Bonaparte  when  she  was  a  girl.  There  is  twenty-two 
years'  difference  in  their  ages,  as  Mile  Pascault  was 
born  when  her  mother  was  fifty-two  years  of  age.  I 
have  something  to  look  forward  to  as  I  worship  beauty. 

FEBRUARY  5 

All  the  Corps  Diplomatique  have  called  upon  us  to  express 
their  regret  at  our  departure.  I  really  believe  they  are 
all  sincere.  Father  with  his  great  simplicity  of  manner, 
his  sincerity,  has  won  all  hearts.  I  do  not  think  he  ever 
has  an  evil  thought. 

Mamma  and  Frances  had  a  most  delightful  interview 
with  the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme  yesterday  afternoon. 
She  received  them  in  her  boudoir  absolutely  without 
ceremony;  expressed  her  regret  that  mamma  was 
leaving  and  said  many  flattering  things.  When  they 
retired  she  drew  Frances  to  her  and  kissed  her  on  both 
cheeks.  Poor  woman,  she  has  always  longed  for  a  child 
of  her  own. 

FEBRUARY  7 

I  am  going  to  make  an  ass  of  myself  at  the  Carnival — 
have  been  drawn  into  going  with  some  boon  companions 
in  a  car.  I  go  to-morrow  to  Compiegne  to  hunt,  but  for 
one  night  only. 

FEBRUARY  9 

Enjoyed  Compiegne  very  much:  a  fine  day,  and  we 
killed  several  head  of  deer.  The  party  was  entirely 
made  up  of  men — so  was  devoid  of  interest. 

FEBRUARY  10 

Showers  of  invitations  for  farewell  dinners  before  Lent. 
Father  will  go  to  Geneva  as  soon  as  Lent  commences. 

238 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1823 

He  goes  alone.  That  Comtesse  de  Boigne  is  irrepressible; 
she  had  the  audacity  to  ask  mamma  at  the  Spanish 
Embassy  last  night  if  her  jewels  were  real.  I  cannot 
understand  a  woman  of  her  birth  and  education  being  so 
absolutely  tactless.  I  think  mamma  must  have  given 
her  a  decided  answer. 

FEBRUARY  15 

Full  Carnival.  I  am  beginning  to  enjoy  it.  We  have 
arranged  a  car — also  various  suppers.  A  masked  ball 
to-night  at  the  opera.  I  am  going  to  escort  Mile  F. 
Supper  at  the  Maison  Doree. 

FEBRUARY  17 

Car  a  great  success.  Representing  a  "Horn  of  Plenty," 
we  were  all  most  carefully  disguised,  ses  dames  as  well.  A 
boisterous  supper.  Enfin — the  last  for  me,  so  I  will 
enjoy  it  though  I  have  not  got  quite  the  zest  and  entrain 
of  a  couple  of  years  since. 

FEBRUARY  19 

A  dinner  of  farewell  to-night  at  the  Due  de  Fernan 
Nunez,  the  Spanish  Ambassador's.  To-morrow  the  Baron 
Vincent  entertains  us.  I  will  have  to  manage  to  get  off 
early  as  there  is  a  ball  at  the  opera  and  we  have  a  supper — 
this  time  des  dames  du  monde. 

FEBRUARY  22 

To-night,  Shrove  Tuesday — our  last  supper,  our  last 
ball,  my  last  time  in  the  half-world  as  we  leave,  I 
believe,  in  April— finis  ! 

FEBRUARY  24 

Bad  news  from  America  about  Albert,  both  father  and 
mother  much  troubled.  I  am  sorry.  Serious  work  now; 
all  entertaining  at  a  standstill  until  Easter.  It  is  freezing 
again,  I  am  glad  to  say — prospects  of  skating. 

239 


1823]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

Frances  had  an  excellent  proposal  for  her  hand  to-day,  a 
man  of  good  family,  well  off,  &c.,  but  she  has  only  seen 
him  twice.  Father  would  not  think  of  such  a  marriage 
for  her. 

MARCH  4 

I  think  we  all  begin  now  to  realize  what  a  wrench  it  will  be 
to  leave  Paris.  Mamma  was  trying  to  make  plans  for 
our  arrival  in  America.  Her  sister,  Mrs.  Montgomery, 
has  very  kindly  placed  her  country  house  near  New 
York  at  our  disposal.  Father  will  have  to  go  both  to 
Washington  and  to  Geneva.  Baltimore  will  be  our 
ultimate  end  until  that  wretched  house  is  finished. 
Mamma  actually  burst  into  tears  when  talking  over  plans 
for  the  future.  She  has  now  acknowledged  that  it  will 
be  hard  for  her  to  leave  Paris.  Of  course  none  of  this 
is  said  before  father;  we  never  distress  him  if  it  can  be 
avoided. 

MARCH  12 

As  soon  as  Lent  is  over  we  begin  our  round  of  adieus. 
I  am  making  out  the  list  so  that  we  will  not  offend  any- 
body by  forgetting  them.  Mamma  says  it  is  useless 
for  her  to  order  any  more  frocks  for  either  herself  or 
Frances  as  they  will  have  no  opportunity  of  wearing  them. 

APRIL  16 

Easter  being  over  we  are  beginning  to  strike  our  tents  and 
packing  has  already  commenced.  The  Government 
has  placed  the  Peacock  at  father's  disposal.  As  the 
King  is  leaving  for  St.  Cloud  we  take  an  informal  leave 
of  him  on  the  19th.  As  father  has  only  applied  for  leave 
for  six  months  this  does  not  necessitate  a  formal  leave- 
taking.  Madame  Bonaparte  has  been  most  kind.  She 
has  done  everything  to  cheer  mamma  and  Frances.  She 
told  us  to-day  that  she  had  written  to  her  father  to  do  all 
in  his  power  for  us  in  Baltimore.  We  really  will  be  home- 
less. No  use  regretting,  it  cannot  be  mended. 

240 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1823 

APRIL  20 

At  11.30  we  were  received  privately  by  the  King. 
Wonderful  to  relate,  Madame  du  Cayla  was  not  present. 
Both  Monsieur  and  the  Due  d'Angouleme  were.  The 
King  seemed  overcome,  expressed  deep  regret  at  parting 
with  father.  Mamma  and  Frances  were  then  admitted 
and  took  a  formal  farewell  of  him.  Both  Monsieur 
and  the  Due  d'Angouleme  accompanied  father  and 
mamma  to  the  door  of  the  ante-chamber  and  expressed 
a  wish  that  they  would  return  to  Paris.  The  Due 
d'Aumont  then  escorted  us  to  the  apartments  of  the 
Duchesse  d'Angouleme.  Half-way  he  handed  us  over 
to  the  care  of  the  Duchesse  de  Serent  and  the  Vicomte 
de  Montmorency.  Mamma  and  Frances  were  received 
first — after  they  retired,  father  and  myself  were  intro- 
duced. The  Duchesse  was  most  unbending  and  expressed 
regret,  but  the  hope  of  seeing  father  again.  She  handed 
him  a  sealed  packet,  begging  him  to  take  great  care  of  it. 
We  then  retired  and  to  our  amazement  found  a  Royal 
carriage  had  been  ordered  to  take  us  home;  a  second 
one  followed  with  a  gentleman  and  a  lady  of  the  Court. 
This  was  a  very  great  compliment — as  it  was  only  an 
informal  leave-taking.  To-morrow  we  go  to  the  Palais 
Royale  to  take  leave.  To-night  I  am  going  to  the  opera 
with  a  heavy  heart,  there  to  take  a  loving  farewell  of  all 
the  ladies  who  have  shown  me  much  kindness.  I  cannot 
afford  to  offer  them  a  supper,  I  only  wish  I  could. 

APRIL  21,  1823 

We  had  a  most  charming  reception  at  the  Palais  Royale. 
They  one  and  all  expressed  their  regret  at  our  departure, 
and  I  believe  it  was  sincere;  certainly  on  the  part  of 
the  Duchesse  and  Mademoiselle.  All  the  elder  children 
were  present  and  each  one  in  English  wished  us  a  pleasant 
and  speedy  voyage  and  hoped  we  would  soon  return. 
They  had  been  taught  their  little  lesson  very  well. 
Father  opened  the  package  that  the  Duchesse  d'An- 


1823]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

gouleme  handed  to  him.  It  contains  several  copies 
of  letters  addressed  to  her  from  America  from  people 
who  imagine  they  are  the  Dauphin  (Louis  XVII)  and 
from  others  who  state  that  the  poor  child  was  given  into 
their  care.  A  note  from  her  begging  father  to  investigate 
the  matter  if  he  possibly  can,  as  it  is  the  great  wish  of 
her  life  if  her  brother  is  alive  to  be  able  to  find  him. 
Of  course  father  will  do  all  he  can,  but  he  is  very  sceptical 
on  the  matter  and  fears  that  wicked  people  are  trying 
to  prey  on  her  feelings  with  a  view  of  making  money. 

APRIL  22 

Count  Pozzo  di  Borgo  has  been  kindness  itself.  He 
breakfasted  with  us  to-day.  He  brought  Frances  such 
a  pretty  bracelet.  Alexander  Humboldt  and  Lafayette 
come  to  dinner  to-morrow  for  a  last  farewell.  Monsieur 
la  Place*  sent  his  regrets,  but  he  is  confined  to  the  house 
with  rheumatism.  He  sent  mamma  some  beautiful 
flowers. 

All  is  quite  settled  and  we  sail  for  America  in  May. 
Father  is  much  vexed  that  he  has  wasted  all  these  years 
on  so  futile  a  mission.  He  has  in  plain  words  informed 
Monsieur  de  Chateaubriand  that  France  must  change 
her  policy  if  she  wishes  to  retain  the  friendship  of  America. 

MAY  10 

We  leave  on  the  14th.  I  regret  parting  with  so  many 
kind  friends — the  de  Broglies  in  particular.  I  have 
made  nearly  all  my  adieus.  One  and  all  have  expressed 
a  wish  that  we  will  return.  Some  I  know  to  be  sincere, 
the  others  are  not  worth  a  thought.  I  will  always  look 
back  upon  these  seven  years  spent  in  my  beloved  Paris. 
Father  has  had  that  stone  house  built  at  New  Geneva, 
an  absolutely  wild  place.  I  doubt  if  he  ever  inhabits  it. 
I  deeply  regret  for  Frances's  sake  that  we  could  not  remain 
a  few  years  longer.  Mamma,  who  has  that  impassive 
*  A  well-known  writer  on  finance. 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1823 

nature  that  nothing  upsets,  is  quite  serene  and  happy 
now.  Madame  Bonaparte  has  really  shown  deep  feeling 
at  parting  with  us.  I  think  she  is  very  grateful  but  she 
does  not  allow  herself  to  show  too  much  of  her  true 
nature. 

LE  HAVRE,  ON  BOARD  "THE  PEACOCK" 

I  am  glad  that  it  is  over  and  that  the  great  wrench  is 
made.  I  am  writing  in  my  cabin.  We  sail  early  to- 
morrow morning.  Mamma  has  brought  her  maid,  who 
will  do  for  Frances  and  herself.  Father  has  his  man. 
Lucien  begged  so  hard  to  come  with  me  that  father 
consented.  He  is  a  very  good  lad,  and  I  feel  he  is  a  sort 
of  link  between  me  and  the  last  seven  years  of  my  happy 
life.  I  shut  my  eyes  sometimes  hoping  when  I  open 
them  to  find  I  am  still  in  the  Rue  de  TUniversite,  and 
that  it  has  all  been  a  horrible  dream.  The  very  smell  of 
the  ship  makes  me  feel  ill.  The  cackling  of  the  chickens 
and  the  squealing  of  the  pigs  adds  to  the  horrors  I 
know  I  will  have  to  undergo.  Lucien  is  now  pea-green. 
The  weather  very  fine.  Captain  Rogers  says  we  will 
probably  have  fair  winds  and  that  we  will  make  a  quick 
passage — I  hope  so.  Frances  has  just  come  to  me  in 
despair,  her  two  canaries  have  been  forgotten.  We  have 
sent  a  man  on  shore  to  see  if  they  can  be  found.  Every- 
thing is  in  such  terrible  confusion.  A  couple  of  the 
King's  couriers  have  just  arrived  with  letters  from  his 
Majesty,  Monsieur  and  the  Due  d'Angouleme — a  more 
than  gracious  act.  Canaries  found,  Frances  delighted. 

JUNE  26:  NEW  YORK 

We  arrived  here  yesterday  after  a  fast  passage.    The 

heat  is  intolerable. 


243 


PART  V 

THE  SPECIAL  MISSION  TO  ENGLAND 
JULY  1823— OCTOBER  1827 

JULY  4:  NEW  YORK 

A  horrible  day  here;  the  noise  of  the  July  4  celebration 
intolerable.  I  have  to  rub  my  eyes  to  see  if  I  am  awake, 
that  it  is  true  I  am  not  in  the  Rue  de  I'Universite.  How 
I  regret  it.  Father  is  going  alone  to  see  the  new  house 
in  Western  Virginia — also  to  Washington.  I  take  mamma 
and  Frances  to  Baltimore  to-morrow.  We  are  stopping 
right  in  the  country  at  a  nice  old  house  which  belongs 
to  the  Montgomery  family.  But  the  difference  in  every- 
thing; only  about  three  private  coaches  in  New  York — 
no  means  of  getting  about.  The  streets  absolutely 
filthy  and  the  heat  horrible.  I  have  been  nearly  every 
night  for  a  long  walk.  No  roads — no  paths.  I  never 
realized  the  absolutely  unfinished  state  of  the  American 
cities  until  I  returned.  The  horrible  chewing  of  tobacco — 
the  spitting;  all  too  awful.  We  have  had  a  charming 
and  hospitable  reception,  but  all  is  so  crude. 

JULY  8 

We  are  now  in  Baltimore.  Not  quite  so  dirty  as  New 
York.  We  are  with  mamma's  relations — the  Nicholsons. 
They  are  kindness  itself,  but  I  even  see  that  mamma 
feels  the  change  most  keenly.  The  young  men  of  Balti- 
more stare  at  me  as  if  they  thought  I  were  a  wild  beast 
let  loose.  Everybody  knows  everybody  else,  and  all 

244 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1823 

call  each  other  by  their  Christian  names.  If  I  am  offered 
a  post,  no  matter  how  humble,  abroad,  I  will  accept 
it  with  joy. 

JULY  12:  BALTIMORE 

The  heat  is  something  I  did  not  ever  realize.  We  go  in  a 
few  days  to  some  place  by  the  sea.  Frances  has  lost  all 
her  colour.  Albert  has  written  me  the  most  distressing 
letter.  It  seems  he  compromised  himself  with  a  farmer's 
daughter.  They  threatened  him  with  exposure  and  he 
was  weak  enough  to  marry  her  on  May  23,  when  we 
were  at  sea.  He  is  afraid  to  tell  father  and  begs  me 
not  to  do  so.  The  girl  is  living  with  her  family.  I  do 
not  know  what  to  do.  Troubles  do  not  come  singly. 
It  seems  this  girl  is  without  education. 

SEPTEMBER  10 

Back  again  in  Baltimore  and  most  thankful.  A  horrible 
place  on  the  Eastern  shore  of  Maryland  called  Sennox, 
a  wooden  shanty  to  live  in,  food  not  so  bad  but  we  have 
to  eat  like  pigs.  When  we  arrived  and  saw  what  it 
was  going  to  be  like  we  commenced  to  laugh  and  we  could 
not  stop  ourselves.  The  poor  people  thought  we  must 
be  lunatics.  Father  has  gone  to  his  beloved  Western 
Virginia  alone.  Albert  is  there.  He  is  going  to  report 
to  us  how  the  beautiful  new  residence  is  progressing. 
They  tell  me  Baltimore  is  very  cheerful  in  the  winter.  It 
does  not  look  much  like  it  now.  Mr.  Patterson,  Madame 
Bonaparte's  father,  has  kindly  invited  us  to  dinner, 
fortunately  the  weather  is  much  cooler.  General  Reubel 
and  his  wife  have  just  called.  They  are  living  with 
Monsieur  Pascault  who  has  the  beautiful  daughter. 

SEPTEMBER  22 

I  have  seen  Miss  Pascault;  Madame  Bonaparte  was 
right.  I  have  never  seen  anything  more  lovely.  As 
Madame  Reubel  has  invited  me  to  call  I  will  certainly 
take  advantage  of  her  invitation. 

245 


1823]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 
SEPTEMBER  24 

I  went  this  afternoon  to  Monsieur  Pascault's*  house,  it 
is  the  oldest  house  in  Baltimore.  Most  beautiful  iron 
gates  that  he  had  sent  from  France,  an  air  of  refinement 
about  the  interior  that  I  have  never  seen  out  of  France. 
I  was  received  by  Madame  Reubel,  who  is  very  hand- 
some. She  has  a  daughter  and  two  sons;  the  youngest, 
Frederic,  is  the  handsomest  young  man  I  have  ever  seen. 
He  must  be  about  seventeen.  Mile  Pascault  was  charming. 
I  am  without  doubt  in  love  with  her.  Her  father  has 
lost  most  of  his  money.  Madame  Reubel  begged  me 
to  sup  with  them  to-morrow  evening;  quite  sans  fapon. 
She  wishes  to  present  me  to  her  father— he  is  very  old. 
Madame  Pascault  never  appears. 

SEPTEMBER  26 

I  am  quite  off  my  head.  Monsieur  Pascault,  who  is  the 
Marquis  de  Poleon,  is  a  gentleman  of  the  old  regime. 
No  wonder  his  daughter  is  so  well  bred.  He  received 
me  with  the  most  wonderful  courtesy — tapped  a  beautiful 
gold  snuff-box  and  offered  it  to  me.  The  supper  quite 
simple  but  served  on  beautiful  silver.  Everything  had 
the  air  of  the  greatest  refinement.  I  thought  my- 
self back  in  France  again.  I  will  speak  to  father  to- 
morrow and  beg  him  to  approach  Monsieur  Pascault — 
with  a  view  of  my  paying  my  addresses  to  his  daughter. 

SEPTEMBER  27 

I  have  written  to  father,  who  is  in  New  Geneva,  telling 
him  that  I  wish,  if  she  consents,  to  make  Miss  Pascault 
my  wife.  Frances  had  a  letter  from  him  to-day  which 
is  most  amusing.  He  gives  a  description  of  the  home. 
The  architect  is  some  local  man  who  never  built  a  house 

*  Jean  Charles  Marie  Louis  Pascault,  Marquis  de  Poleon.  His  father 
married  a  Mile  Dupuy — daughter  of  a  naval  surgeon.  It  was  considered 
a  mesalliance,  and  he  was  given  a  large  estate  in  St.  Domingo.  He  died 
in  1766.  His  son  escaped  with  his  family  during  the  massacre  of  St. 
Domingo.  As  France  was  in  such  a  disturbed  state  he  sailed  to  Baltimore. 

246 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1823 

before.  He  had  no  idea  of  Grecian  architecture  but  a 
style  of  his  own  which  is  Hiberno-teutonic.  The  outside 
is  like  a  French  barracks  with  port-hole  windows,  the 
inside  ornamentations  like  those  of  a  Dutch  tavern,  so 
that  the  French  marble  chimney-pieces,  mirrors  and 
papers  which  he  sent  out  are  rather  out  of  place.  The 
workmen  are  still  there  and  live  and  board  in  what 
Lucien  calls  "  The  Chateau."  The  approach  to  the  house 
is  hidden  by  a  log-cabin  which  is  occupied  by  Monsieur, 
Madame,  Mile  and  the  petits  Bouffe  family.  Albert 
has  taken  possession  of  the  only  parlour  in  the  old  brick 
house.  This  young  gentleman  has  four  guns,  a  pointer, 
three  boats,  two  riding  horses,  and  a  pet  colt  smaller  than 
a  jackass.  His  wardrobe  is  distributed  about  the  parlour. 
A  billiard-table  with  Albert's  old  stockings  for  pockets. 
"So,  my  dear  daughter,"  he  adds,  "we  will  pass  the 
winter  in  Baltimore."  This  is  a  respite  for  us.  I  am 
delighted,  for  this  will  give  me  an  opportunity  for  pressing 
my  suit  with  Miss  Pascault.  I  am  anxiously  awaiting 
father's  answer  to  my  letter.  I  know  it  would  be  wise. 

SEPTEMBER  29 

I  have  again  called  at  Mr.  Pascault's,  and  was  received 
most  kindly.  I  had  some  conversation  with  Mile 
Josephine;  she  is  so  absolutely  gentle  and  sweet,  I  am 
certain  I  am  not  good  enough  for  her.  We  dine  at  the 
Pattersons'  again  to-morrow.  Madame  Bonaparte  has 
written  to  her  father  to  be  most  civil  to  us.  Madame 
Reubel  and  Mile  Pascault  are  to  be  of  the  guests. 

OCTOBER  25 

Father  has  returned,  and  called  yesterday  on  Monsieur 
Pascault.  He  gave  his  consent  to  my  paying  addresses 
to  his  daughter.  Father  was  so  kind,  he  said  her  want 
of  fortune  should  not  stand  in  the  way.  Alluding  to  his 
first  marriage  he  added,  "She  had  nothing,  but  we  loved 
each  other."  Mamma  has  been  left  a  nice  little  fortune, 

247 


1823]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

so  we  are  now  well  off.  Mr.  Pascault  has  another  daughter 
married  to  a  Mr.  O'Donnell,  the  son  of  a  rich  Indian  nabob. 
She  was  married  when  she  was  fifteen,  and  had  a  child 
before  she  was  sixteen.  She  is  very  beautiful  like  a  full- 
blown rose,  but  seems  to  have  but  little  brain  or  education. 


NOVEMBER  2 

My  suit  is  progressing.     Josephine  likes  to  hear  about 

France.     She  plays  delightfully  both  the  harp  and  the 

spinet.     I  talk  all  sorts  of  nonsense  which  all  lovers  do. 

It  has  cheered  her  up  as  her  youth  has  not  been  very 

cheerful. 

DECEMBER  6 

All  is  settled.  Mile  Pascault  has  consented  to  be  my  wife 
and  we  are  to  be  married  early  in  the  New  Year.  Mamma 
and  Frances  are  delighted  with  her.  She  is  so  gentle  and 
innocent.  Mamma  says  she  is  like  a  beautiful  lily. 
She  is  beautiful,  there  is  no  doubt  about  that.  Madame 
Reubel  rather  astonished  me  by  appearing  the  other  day 
in  a  bright  red  wig.  It  seems  she  has  wigs  of  every 
colour  to  go  with  her  frocks.  A  Bonaparte  fashion  and 
not  certainly  adopted  by  the  ladies  of  the  Restoration, 
as  I  never  saw  such  a  thing  in  Paris.  General  Reubel 
is  horrible,  has  not  a  penny  in  the  world,  stops  in  bed 
nearly  all  day,  and  lives  on  Monsieur  Pascault's  bounty. 
Does  not  attempt  to  do  any  work.  His  daughter  will  be 
very  handsome.  A  brother  of  Monsieur  Pascault's  lives 
in  a  lodge  at  the  gate  but  nobody  ever  speaks  to  him — 
the  reason  I  do  not  know. 

DECEMBER  24:  CHRISTMAS  EVE 

Madame  Pascault  insisted  on  our  coming  to  them. 
They  all  dine  with  us  to-morrow.  We  have  a  very 
good  house  in  Charles  Street  for  the  winter.  Father 
will  be  much  in  Washington. 

248 


Jaiefinth 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1824 

DECEMBER  31 

To-night  we  all  sup  with  Monsieur  Pascault  to  see  the 
New  Year  in.  It  is  father's  first  visit  to  the  house.  I 
am  anxious  to  see  how  he  treats  Reubel. 

JANUARY  2,  1824 

The  entertainment  at  Monsieur  Pascault's  was  of  the 
greatest  elegance.  Father  was  much  pleased  and  I 
noticed  his  astonishment  at  the  fine  plate,  also  the 
quantities  of  family  portraits,  &c.  &c.  I  fear  there  is 
going  to  be  delay  with  regard  to  our  marriage.  Jose- 
phine is  a  Catholic,  and  that  is  one  thing  father  is  adamant 
about.  He  will  not  allow  (if  we  have  any  children) 
that  they  should  be  brought  up  in  that  religion. 

JANUARY  5 

Father  was  forced  by  his  party,  but  much  against  his 
will,  to  accept  the  candidature  for  the  Vice-Presidency. 
Mr.  Crawford's  stroke  of  paralysis  required  another 
candidate.  All  this  is  most  annoying.  Father  does  not 
wish  to  enter  into  public  life  again.  When  he  left  America 
seven  years  ago,  I  believe  he  vowed  never  to  return.  He 
has  given  the  best  part  of  his  life  and  all  his  energies  to  his 
adopted  country;  no  one  knows  better  than  himself  that 
he  is  disliked,  but  that  they  still  want  to  pick  his  brains 
and  make  use  of  him.  He  goes  to  Washington  to-night. 

FEBRUARY  18 

I  had  hoped  to  be  married  this  month,  but  still  this  ques- 
tion of  religion.  The  Archbishop  of  Baltimore  declines 
to  marry  us  if  there  is  a  Protestant  ceremony. 

MARCH  18 

At  last  all  is  settled.  Monsieur  Pascault  is  disgusted 
with  the  behaviour  of  the  Archbishop,  and  has  written 
to  him  to  the  effect  that  he  will  entirely  dispense  with 
the  services  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  that  his  daughter 

249 


1824]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

will  be  married  in  the  Protestant  Church.  He  added 
that  a  wife's  first  duty  was  to  obey  her  husband. 

MAY  5 

We  are  back  from  our  honeymoon  and  leave  shortly 
to  join  poor  mamma  at  New  Geneva.  Father  still  in 
Washington.  The  Archbishop  has  excommunicated 
Monsieur  Pascault. 

MAY  10 

The  French  Minister  intimated  to  us  that  he  has  an 
important  package  to  deliver  into  one  of  our  hands,  or 
accredited  servants.  As  Lucien  was  returning  here  from 
Washington,  father  sent  him  for  it.  Imagine  my  surprise 
when  I  found  it  was  addressed  to  me.  It  was  from  the 
Due  and  Duchesse  d'Angouleme — a  most  beautiful  silver- 
gilt  vase  with  their  arms  on  one  side — a  wedding  present. 
It  was  more  than  a  surprise  considering  all  they  have 
been  through,  on  account  of  the  King's  death,  to  have 
given  me  a  thought.  Josephine  is  delighted  with  it. 
Monsieur  Pascault  was  greatly  overcome  when  he  saw  it. 
I  must  consult  father  in  what  form  to  acknowledge  it. 
We  go  in  a  few  days  to  try  the  new  house  at  New  Geneva. 
It  is  all  ready  for  our  reception.  In  all  events  we  will 
pass  the  summer  there.  It  is  getting  intolerably  hot 
here. 

JUNE  8 

We  have  been  here  for  some  time.  The  place  itself  is 
delightful.  The  views  superb.  Air  as  pure  as  air  can  be, 
but  not  a  soul  to  speak  to — not  a  neighbour,  with  the 
exception  of  some  totally  uneducated  farmers,  their 
wives  and  daughters.  We  are  all  here.  Frances  has  a 
pony.  Josephine  is  not  allowed  to  ride  at  present. 
So  I  ride  a  huge  farm-horse — who  is  as  thin  as  a  knife; 
no  roads,  so  we  risk  our  lives  every  moment.  Albert 
sometimes  rides  in  front  of  us,  and  when  we  are  ap- 

250 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1824 

preaching  a  dangerous  spot  he  blows  a  horn.  I  wish  some 
of  my  Paris  intimes  could  see  us — how  amused  they 
would  be.  Mamma  attends  to  all  our  personal  comforts. 
We  have  many  too  many  servants.  Frances  has  named 
it  "Castle  Solitude."  Our  greatest  friends  are  the 
mosquitoes,  who  certainly  keep  us  company.  Father 
reads  all  day  as  he  is  compiling  some  work.  It  is  too 
hot  for  him  to  go  to  Washington  at  present.  Mr.  Craw- 
ford is  no  better. 

SEPTEMBER  20 

Josephine  and  myself  return  to  Baltimore  shortly. 
Monsieur  Pascault  is  very  ailing  and  they  seem  worried 
about  him.  Our  home  is  empty,  so  I  think  Josephine 
will  not  suffer  too  much  from  the  heat.  There  is  a 
rumour  about  a  mission  to  France.  I  dare  not  think  of 
it.  When  we  leave,  Frances  says  she  will  take  to  her  bed. 
It  is  awful  for  her.  I  am  certain  mamma  will  not  stand 
the  winter  here.  Father  will  have  to  be  in  Washington 
on  account  of  the  elections. 

OCTOBER  15 

Greatly  to  the  relief  of  us  all,  greatly  to  the  relief  of 
father  himself,  he  has  been  able  to  withdraw  from  the 
candidature  of  Vice-President.  It  really  was  nothing 
more  than  a  hope  of  his  party  that  should  Mr.  Crawford 
have  been  elected  President  his  health  would  have 
obliged  him  to  withdraw,  and  father  would  have  been 
head  of  the  State.  Of  course  his  birth  disqualified 
him  for  standing  for  the  Presidency,  and  this  was  the 
only  means  of  putting  him  in  that  position.  Now  they 
are  worrying  him  again  with  offers  of  the  Treasury, 
but  I  am  certain  he  will  not  accept  any  post  of  any  kind 
or  description.  I  had  always  heard  Carrol-town,  the  seat 
of  the  Carrolls,  spoken  of  with  almost  awe  as  to  its  mag- 
nificence. Josephine  told  me  it  was  nonsense.  So  to 
see  it  we  went.  I  really  could  not  help  laughing. 

251 


1824]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

Merely  a  square  wooden  house  with  a  piazza  all  around  it. 
The  interior  most  ordinary.  It  seems  the  original 
Carroll,  who  called  himself  Carroll  of  Carrol-town,  was 
the  natural  child  of  somebody.  This  I  fear  is  very  much 
the  habit  of  the  Americans  of  the  Southern  States — 
vain  boasting.  They  of  course  have  large  plantations 
and  slaves;  but  miserable  houses,  and  live  in  the  most 
untidy  manner.  To  my  astonishment  I  hear  there  are 
no  schools  in  the  Southern  States  and  that  all  the  children 
of  the  better  class  have  to  be  sent  to  the  North  to  be 
educated.  Father  has  decided  to  remain  with  mamma, 
Frances  and  Albert  for  the  winter  at  New  Geneva.  Of 
course  I  am  obliged  to  remain  in  Baltimore. 

DECEMBER  1824 

My  father-in-law  is  very  ill  and  we  are  all  in  close  atten- 
dance. Reubel  found  the  air  did  not  agree  with  him  and 
has  betaken  himself  to  New  York,  much  to  the  relief 
of  all.  Madame  Reubel  is  a  delightful  woman  and  has 
suffered  much.  To  be  here  in  Baltimore  without  money, 
dependent  on  her  friends,  must  be  most  galling  to  her, 
having  lived  at  Court  all  her  life,  and  particularly  at 
the  Court  of  Westphalia,  where  she  was  the  first  lady-in- 
waiting  on  the  Queen.  She  often  describes  to  us  the 
splendours  of  the  Palace  at  Cassel,  which  was  built 
by  the  Landgrave  of  Hesse  in  imitation  of  Versailles. 
His  son  has  it  now  and  I  believe  the  whole  of  his  vast 
fortune  intact.  When  she  was  there  and  King  Jerome 
reigned,  she  says  nothing  could  equal  the  extravagance 
of  living.  She  was  not  at  all  surprised  at  the  West- 
phalian  troops  being  quite  useless  to  Napoleon,  as  they 
were  never  manoeuvred.  All  was  a  life  of  pleasure 
there,  from  morning  until  night.  We  will  have,  I  fear, 
a  sad  Christmas.  I  am  sorry  for  Josephine's  sake. 

DECEMBER  23 

Monsieur  Pascault  has  recovered  wonderfully  and  insists 
upon  having  a  dinner  of  all  the  family  on  the  31st.  He 

252 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1825 

says  it  will  be  his  last  year,  and  he  wants  to  have  them 
all  around  him.  I  am  sorry  I  will  be  away  from  my 
father  and  mother,  but  my  duty  is  by  my  wife.  We 
expect  our  child  in  the  New  Year. 

FEBRUARY  7,  1825 

My  dear  wife  was  safely  delivered  of  a  fine  boy  this  morn- 
ing. We  are  going  to  call  him  Albert. 

APRIL  15 

Monsieur  de  Lafayette  has  arrived  and  has  been  received 
with  the  greatest  enthusiasm.  His  progress  is  a  triumphal 
one.  His  cause  is  the  emancipation  of  the  Spanish 
Colonies  and  of  Greece.  Both  of  which  are  dear  to  the 
hearts  of  Liberals  of  all  nations.  When  in  Paris  father 
received  the  thanks  of  the  Greek  Governor  for  his  efforts 
on  their  behalf.  Now  that  I  am  on  the  subject  it  seems 
so  unfair  that  father  was  never  allowed  to  accept  an 
order  of  any  kind  or  to  retain  any  of  the  superb  presents 
that  were  given  to  him — all  of  which  are  now  in  Wash- 
ington. All  that  he  did  keep  was  a  superb  set  of  glass, 
some  eight  hundred  pieces,  that  the  Emperor  Alexander 
gave  him  as  a  purely  personal  gift. 

MAY  15 

Father  has  just  written  to  me  that  I  must  be  present 
at  Uniontown  to  help  him  receive  Lafayette,  who  is 
going  to  stay  a  couple  of  nights  with  him  at  Friendship 
Hill.  So  I  am  off  to-morrow.  Josephine  is  quite  well 
and  so  happy  with  her  baby.  I  do  not  mind  leaving  her. 

MAY  16 

Detained  until  Thursday,  as  I  have  just  received  a  list 
of  things  which  will  be  wanted  by  mamma  for  the  25th: 
it  is  a  mile  long. 

MAY  27 

The  meeting  at  Uniontown  and  the  reception  of 
Monsieur  de  Lafayette  far  surpassed  anything  I  have 

253 


1825]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

ever  seen  in  this  country.  People  came  from  miles 
away  and  camped  out,  bringing  their  tents.  Lafayette 
is  the  nation's  guest  so  was  surrounded  by  a  huge  mounted 
bodyguard.  He  spoke  just  after  father  had  intro- 
duced him.  Father  spoke  after  him  and  I  really  think 
he  must  have  been  inspired.  His  French  accent  seemed 
to  leave  him  as  he  became  excited.  The  subject  was 
the  critical  position  of  the  Greeks.  He  must  have  in- 
spired his  audience,  as  I  have  never  heard  such  an  out- 
burst of  genuine  enthusiasm  and  cheering;  it  lasted 
quite  half  an  hour.  Monsieur  de  Lafayette  embraced 
him  publicly.  We  returned  to  Friendship  Hill  and 
quite  a  thousand  sat  down  to  supper  in  relays.  Mamma 
had  arranged  everything  wonderfully,  rows  and  rows  of 
tables  in  the  garden.  Hundreds  of  niggers  all  dressed 
in  white  to  serve.  Yesterday  we  passed  in  comparative 
quiet,  but  there  were  callers  all  day  for  Monsieur  de 
Lafayette.  We  had  a  quiet  dinner  which  Monsieur  de 
Lafayette  said  reminded  him  of  the  Rue  de  1'Universite. 
I  do  not  think  he  was  the  only  one  who  was  reminded 
of  it.  He  left  this  morning  as  he  has  a  prolonged  tour 
to  make  and  a  very  short  time  to  make  it  in.  I  go  back 
to-morrow  to  bring  Josephine  and  my  son  here  for  the 
summer. 

JUNE  20:  FRIENDSHIP  HILL 

We  are  all  very  happy  here.  The  country  is  beautiful  and 
mamma  certainly  has  the  art  of  making  everybody 
comfortable.  Josephine  is  delicate  but  loves  the  good 
air  here,  particularly  for  our  boy  who  is  growing  apace. 
Father  worships  him  at  a  distance.  A  few  days  since 
I  told  father  for  the  first  time  of  Mr.  Adams'  letter  to  me 
of  February  last.  I  had  written  privately  to  Mr.  Adams 
informing  him  of  father's  reasons  for  refusing  the 
Treasury  under  his  administration.  Father  has  always 
been  above  suspicion  and  I  may  frankly  say  (although 
he  is  my  father)  that  he  is  the  only  one  of  either  party 

254 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1826 

who  has  not  fallen  into  some  error  which  has  cast 
suspicion  on  their  motives.  This  Mr.  Adams  frankly 
acknowledges  in  his  letter  to  me.  When  I  read  this 
paragraph  I  could  see  father's  evident  gratification 
at  the  opinion  held  of  him  by  a  political  opponent — and 
that  opponent  the  actual  President  of  the  United  States. 
We  drifted  into  reminiscences  of  Paris.  Father's  heart 
is  there  and  in  Geneva,  but  only  stern  duty  keeps  him 
here. 

AUGUST 

Father  at  last  acknowledges  that  he  made  a  mistake  in 
building  this  house,  and  that  we  will  never  inhabit  it 
after  this  summer.  He  has  commissioned  me  to  find  a 
house  in  Baltimore  for  the  winter  as  it  is  quite  near 
enough  to  Washington  for  him  in  case  he  is  obliged  to  go 
there.  I  was  much  gratified  at  receiving  a  beautiful 
silver  bowl  from  some  of  my  friends  in  Paris  for  my  son. 
Albertine  de  Staei  sent  the  most  beautiful  baby  clothes. 
The  first  clothes  my  boy  wore  were  those  of  Napoleon. 
The  Queen  of  Westphalia  gave  them  to  Madame  Reubel 
when  her  boy  was  born,  and  she  gave  them  to  Josephine. 
He  still  wears  the  little  dressing-gown  that  was  made  by 
Madame  Mere. 

MAY  1826 

I  cannot  realize  what  has  happened.  We  are  actually 
going  to  England.  Mr.  Rufus  King's  (our  Minister  in 
London)  health  has  broken  down.  Most  important 
matters  have  to  be  negotiated.  The  President  has 
begged  father  to  take  his  place.  He  has  accepted  but 
on  the  condition  that  he  goes  on  a  special  mission  and 
not  as  a  resident  Minister;  that  he  is  at  liberty  to  return 
in  a  year;  that  an  ample  sum  is  to  be  put  at  his  disposal, 
as  he  knows  that  outward  show  has  a  great  effect  on  the 
English  people.  This  has  all  been  agreed  to  privately. 
These  are  the  most  important  negotiations  and  can  only 


1826]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

be  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  very  strong  man.  The 
whole  of  the  commercial  questions  to  be  finally  settled. 
The  most  important  are  the  North-Eastern  and  North- 
Western  Boundary  questions.  Also  the  Commercial 
Convention  which  father  negotiated  in  1815  in  London, 
and  again  in  1818  to  last  ten  years. 

MAY  25 

I  am  torn  both  ways.  I  know  I  could  be  of  the  greatest 
use  to  father.  It  is  impossible  to  take  our  child  at  his 
age  across  the  ocean,  as  the  discomforts,  particularly 
where  food  is  concerned,  are  so  great.  Josephine  is 
quite  willing  for  me  to  go,  in  fact  urges  me  to  do  so.  I 
will  leave  the  matter  entirely  in  father's  hands. 

JUNE  7 

It  is  finally  decided  I  am  to  accompany  father,  but  only 
for  six  months  should  I  be  wanted  at  home.  For  many 
reasons  this  is  thought  to  be  for  the  best.  As  now 
arranged  we  sail  on  July  1.  I  am  doing  all  I  can  to  pro- 
vide for  more  comfort  for  the  voyage.  I  often  wonder 
how  father  has  stood  so  many  of  these  disagreeable 
crossings  of  the  Atlantic.  The  horrible  cramped  feeling. 
The  misery  of  a  gale  when  we  can  barely  crawl  about, 
and  the  absolute  horrors  of  a  fog.  We  are  to  take  a  very 
southerly  course  this  time.  Both  father  and  mother  are 
very  much  annoyed.  At  the  last  moment  an  applica- 
tion was  made  to  father  asking  him  to  take  a  Miss  Bates 
to  England.  It  seems  she  is  to  marry  a  Monsieur  Van 
der  Weyer,  a  Belgian  avocat.  The  latter  made  him- 
self very  useful  to  Prince  Leopold,  the  husband  of  Prin- 
cess Charlotte.  None  of  us  know  or  ever  heard  of  the 
Bates  family;  they  are  very  rich  and  extremely  vulgar. 
Father  could  not  refuse. 

AUGUST:   LONDON 

We  sailed  on  July  1,  and  arrived  here  a  few  days  since. 
We  have  a  beautiful  house  in  Seymour  Street. 

256 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1826 

I  have  seen  to  the  carriages  and  horses,  all  jobbed  but 
very  fine. 

AUGUST  20 

The  King  received  us  last  week  and  was  most  gracious. 
But  what  a  change  since  I  last  saw  him.  He  is  fat, 
very  red  in  the  face  and  unwieldy. 

SEPTEMBER 

As  nearly  the  entire  Cabinet  had  left  London,  including 
Mr.  Canning,  father  thought  it  a  good  opportunity  to 
pay  a  visit  to  Paris.  He  particularly  wished  to  consult 
Pozzo  di  Borgo  on  several  very  important  matters. 
He  finds  that  Bonapartism  is  nearly  extinct.  He  found 
Monsieur  de  Lafayette  in  a  far  more  peaceful  frame 
of  mind  than  when  he  paid  his  visit  to  America.  He 
spoke  to  him  in  the  most  forcible  language  of  his  love  of 
petty  plotting.  He  seems  now  to  realize  that  such 
things  are  futile.  His  one  wish  now  is  to  see  the  Due 
d'Orleans  on  the  throne  as  a  constitutional  Monarch. 
I  fear  this  is  in  the  dim  future.  Lafayette  is  strongly 
in  favour  of  the  Duke's  disputing  the  legitimacy  of 
the  Due  de  Bordeaux.  We  had  an  interview  with 
Monsieur  de  Vilelle,  who  seems  much  annoyed  with 
the  President's  message,  particularly  with  regard  to 
Hayti.  I  do  not  think  father  gave  him  much  satisfac- 
tion. A  funny  incident  I  must  record.  When  we 
crossed  to  Boulogne  mamma  had  to  dress  on  board  for  a 
reception  at  that  port,  which  was  being  given  to  Monsieur 
de  Lafayette.  On  our  arrival  it  was  low  tide  and  as  is 
the  custom  fishermen  came  out  to  the  pacquet  in  shallow 
water  to  carry  us  to  the  shore — fisherwomen  for  the 
ladies.  Mamma  was  mounted  on  the  back  of  a  fat 
Boulognese.  Not  thinking  the  woman  was  going  fast 
enough  she  prodded  her  with  her  heels.  The  woman 
lost  her  temper  and  dropped  mamma  in  about  a  foot  of 
water.  We  could  not  help  laughing  to  see  her  sitting 

257 


1826]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

up  to  her  waist  in  water.  She  was  in  red  velvet  with  a 
huge  turban  covered  with  white  feathers.  The  more  we 
laughed  the  more  enraged  she  became.  At  last  she  was 
rescued  and  carried,  dripping,  ashore.  She  had  to  be  taken 
at  once  to  an  inn  and  dried.  She  will  never  forgive  us. 
I  find  Paris  delightful,  but  few  of  our  friends  here  as  all 
are  at  their  chateaux  or  by  the  sea.  I  visited  all  my  old 
haunts  and  have  registered  a  vow  that  the  moment  I  am 
in  a  position  to  do  so  I  will  return  here  to  live  and  die. 

OCTOBER:   LONDON 

We  have  now  returned  here  and  are  seriously  at  work, 
and  plenty  of  it.* 

ALBERT  GALLATIN  to  J.  Q.  ADAMS 

LONDON,  October  18,  1826 
DEAR  SIR, 

I  had  intended  next  spring,  before  my  return  to 
America,  to  have  an  excursion  to  Paris  once  more  to  see 
some  of  my  friends.  Mr.  Canning's  absence  and  the 
dispersion  of  the  other  members  of  the  Cabinet  having 
left  me  literally  without  anything  to  do  here,  I  em- 
braced what  was  the  most  favourable  opportunity  of 
making  that  journey,  from  which  I  have  just  returned. 
My  letter  of  yesterday  to  the  Secretary  of  State  contains 
the  substance  of  the  information  I  was  able  to  collect 
there;  and  I  will  now  add  some  particulars  which,  as 
they  involve  the  names  of  individuals,  I  did  not  wish  to 
remain  on  record  in  the  Department  of  State. 

In  the  course  of  a  long  conversation  with  Pozzo  di 
Borgo  the  state  of  our  relations  with  Great  Britain  was 
alluded  to.  I  told  him  that  the  Emperor's  decision  in 
the  case  of  slaves  carried  away  and  the  convention 
relative  thereto  had  not  been  carried  into  effect  by  Great 
Britain  in  conformity  with  what  we  considered  their 

*  James  Gallatin  went  to  America  in  1826  and  returned  to  London  in 
March,  1827. 

258 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1826 

real  intention  and  meaning;  that  the  British  Govern- 
ment had  offered  to  compromise  the  matter  by  payment 
of  a  sum  of  money  which  fell  short  of  our  expectations; 
but  that  we  were  nevertheless  inclined  to  accept  it, 
principally  on  account  of  the  reluctance  we  felt  to  trouble 
the  Emperor  by  an  appeal,  asking  from  him  further 
explanation  of  his  decision.  Pozzo  immediately  ex- 
pressed his  wish  that  we  might  compromise  or  other- 
wise adjust  the  matter  without  making  such  an  appeal, 
which,  particularly  at  this  time,  would  be,  as-he  thought, 
extremely  inconvenient  to  the  Emperor;  and  speaking 
of  the  Maine  Boundary  question,  with  which  and  its 
possible  consequences  he  appeared  well  acquainted, 
he  appeared  also  desirous,  though  he  did  not  express 
himself  as  positively  as  on  that  of  slaves,  that  Russia 
should  not  be  selected  as  the  umpire.  I  only  observed 
that  if  there  was  any  inconvenience  in  being  obliged 
to  make  decisions  which  might  not  please  both  parties, 
that  inconvenience  was  less  to  Russia  than  to  any  other 
Power,  and  that  a  compensation  for  it  was  foun,d  in  the 
additional  degree  of  consideration  accruing  to  the  Monarch 
in  whom  such  confidence  was  placed.  All  this,  however, 
corroborates  what  I  have  stated  in  my  official  letter 
respecting  an  approximation  between  Russia  and  Great 
Britain,  and  the  disposition  of  the  Emperor  to  interfere 
less  than  his  predecessor  in  affairs  in  which  he  has  no 
immediate  interest. 

The  most  remarkable  change  discoverable  to  France 
is  the  extinction  of  Bonapartism,  both  as  relates  to 
dynasty  and  to  the  wish  of  a  military  Government. 
This,  I  am  happy  to  say,  appears  to  have  had  a  favour- 
able effect  on  our  friend  Lafayette,  who  was  very  un- 
governable in  all  that  related  to  petty  plots  during  my 
residence  at  Paris  as  Minister,  and  to  whom  I  had  again 
spoken  on  the  same  subject  in  the  most  forcible  manner 
whilst  he  was  in  America.  His  opinions  and  feelings  are 
not  changed;  but  he  appears  to  be  thoroughly  satisfied 

259 


1826]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

of  the  hopelessness  of  any  attempt  to  produce  a  change 
at  present;  and  he  confines  his  hopes  to  a  vague  expec- 
tation that,  after  the  death  of  the  present  King  and 
of  the  Dauphin,  the  Due  d'Orleans  will  dispute  the 
legitimacy  of  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux  and  become  a 
constitutional  King.  This  is  such  a  doubtful  and  distant 
contingency  as  is  not  likely  to  involve  Lafayette  in  any 
difficulties.  Mr.  de  Villele  complained  to  me  of  those 
expressions  in  the  President's  message  which  declared 
Hayti  to  have  placed  herself  in  a  state  of  vassalage  to 
France,  as  calculated  to  increase  the  dissatisfaction 
amongst  the  people  of  the  island  at  the  late  arrangement. 
He  said  that  he  was  aware  of  the  objections  of  a  very 
different  nature  which  we  had  to  a  recognition  of  the  inde- 
pendence of  Hayti,  but  did  not  see  the  necessity  of  alleging 
the  reason  alluded  to.  As  I  did  not  wish  and  did  not 
think  it  at  all  proper  to  enter  into  any  discussion  of  the 
subject,  I  answered,  as  if  in  jest,  "Qu'un  tribut,  impose 
a  une  colonie  comme  le  prix  de  son  independance,  etait 
contraire  aux  grands  principes."  I  forgot  to  mention 
the  circumstance  to  Mr.  Brown,  and  do  not  know  whether 
the  thing  had  already  been  complained  of  to  him.  If  so, 
its  being  repeated  to  me — and  they  were  almost  the 
first  words  Mr.  de  Villele  addressed  to  me — shows  that 
it  must  have  made  a  deep  impression  on  the  French 
Government.  This  reminds  me  that  I  received  here  a 
communication  from  a  respectable  quarter  stating  that, 
a  few  days  before  the  publication  of  the  order  in  council 
of  July  last,  one  of  the  King's  Ministers  had  complained 
to  a  confidential  friend  of  the  general  tone  of  the  American 
(United  States)  diplomacy  towards  England,  still  more 
so  as  respected  manner  than  matter,  and  added  that  it 
was  time  to  show  that  this  was  felt  and  resented.  As  to 
manner,  the  reproach  cannot  certainly  attach  either 
to  Mr.  Rush's  or  Mr.  King's  correspondence;  and  I  know, 
from  a  conversation  with  Mr.  Addington,  that  in  that 
respect  Mr.  Clay's  has  been  quite  acceptable.  On  looking 

260 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1826 

at  your  own  communications,  I  am  satisfied  that  those 
to  the  British  Ministers  can  have  given  no  offence  what- 
ever, and  that  what  they  allude  to  and  which  has  offended 
them  is  your  instructions  to  Mr.  Rush,  printed  by  order 
of  the  Senate,  and  which  have  been  transmitted  both  to 
Mr.  Canning  and  to  Mr.  Huskisson;  a  circumstance, 
by  the  by,  not  very  favourable  to  negotiations  still  pend- 
ing. That  they  have  no  right  to  complain  of  what  you 
wrote  to  our  own  Minister  is  obvious;  still,  I  think  the 
fact  to  be  so. 

I  forgot  to  mention  in  my  letter  of  yesterday  to  the 
Secretary  of  State  that  there  is  some  alarm  amongst 
the  legitimates  about  a  plan  of  Metternich  to  change 
the  line  of  succession  in  Austria,  or  a  plea  of  the  pre- 
sumed incapacity  of  the  heir  presumptive;  and  that  the 
King  of  the  Netherlands  has  at  last,  by  his  unabated  and 
exclusive  attention  to  business  and  by  his  perfect  probity 
and  sincerity,  so  far  conquered  the  prejudices  of  the 
Belgians  as  to  have  become  highly  respected  and  almost 
popular  amongst  them. 

I  have  the  honour,  &c., 

ALBERT  GALLATIN 
NOVEMBER  14 

Yesterday  the  Convention  of  1818  was  renewed  and 
signed;  a  meeting  again  to-morrow.  Mr.  King  left 
yesterday.  Mr.  Lawrence  is  expected  to-day. 

DECEMBER 

Father  is  anxious  that  the  Emperor  of  Russia  should 
act  as  arbiter  on  the  North-Eastern  Boundary  question, 
but  Prince  Lieven  thinks  it  will  not  be  convenient  for 
him  to  do  so. 

DECEMBER 

Frances  is  enjoying  herself  amazingly  and  is  I  think  a  great 
favourite.  She  is  at  present  paying  some  visits  in  the 
country  with  mamma.  The  Marchioness  of  Stafford  has 

261 


1826]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

been  most  gracious.  She  has  bidden  us  all  to  Trentham 
in  January.  They  say  it  is  a  most  magnificent  palace, 
and  that  wonderful  state  is  kept  up.  The  Duke  of 
Devonshire,  whom  we  knew  in  1818,  has  been  most  atten- 
tive. He  is  not  married  and  never  will.  It  seems  he  is 

the  son  of  the  Duke :   that  at  nearly  the  same  time 

the  Duchess  had  a  daughter,  the  Duke's  mistress  had  a 
son — as  they  were  most  anxious  for  an  heir  the  babies 
were  changed.  For  a  long  time  the  deception  was  kept 
up,  but  somebody  in  the  end  confessed.  This  Duke 
was  then  in  possession  of  the  title;  as  he  was  so  much 
beloved  it  was  agreed  that  he  should  retain  all  his  honours 
but  that  he  was  never  to  marry. 

The  Barings  were  most  cordial  in  their  greetings  to 
us.  We  dine  with  them  on  Christmas  Day.  At  times  I 
feel  very  low  in  my  mind  and  feel  that  after  all  I  should 
not  have  left  my  dear  wife  and  child.  I  was  torn  both 
ways.  It  seems  to  take  such  an  unconscionable  time  to 
receive  any  news  from  home.  The  King  goes  openly 
everywhere  with  Lady  Conyngham.  Scandal  says  she  is 
getting  all  the  money  and  property  that  she  can  for  her 
children,  before  the  King  dies.  She  wore  the  other  night 
at  Princess  Lieven's  all  the  Crown  Sapphires.  They  say 
the  King  has  given  them  to  her. 

DECEMBER  15 

There  is  not  much  entertaining.  The  King  is  at  Brighton. 
I  met  Mr.  Greville*  the  other  night.  He  is  Clerk  of  the 
Council.  I  was  amused  to  see  him  making  notes  of  the 
different  things  I  told  him.  Rather  a  pedantic  person. 
Princess  Lieven  is  the  Ambassador:  Prince  Lieven  is 
absolutely  a  nonentity.  Lord  Goderich  is  always  the 
same  delightful  gentleman,  it  is  a  pleasure  to  meet  him. 
Lord  Grey  I  suppose  means  to  be  civil,  but  his  manners 
are  not  what  they  should  be.  Mr.  Canning  is  always 

*  Charles  Greville,  author  of  Journals  of  the  reigns  of  George  IV  and 
William  IV. 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1826 

most  gracious  to  father,  who  likes  him  very  much  but 
does  not  think  him  a  very  strong  man.  Lady  Wellesley 
(Mrs.  Robert  Patterson*)  has  been  in  London.  We  dined 
with  her.  Of  course  now  she  is  a  very  great  lady,  and 
does  not  forget  it.  She  has  asked  me  to  come  to  Dublin 
after  Christmas.  She  says  I  will  be  much  amused  at 
Dublin  society  and  the  Viceregal  Court.  I  will  certainly 
go  if  there  is  not  too  much  work  here.  There  is  that 
horrible  Irish  Channel  to  be  considered  and  the  very  long 
journey.  Mamma  arrives  to-morrow.  We  have  to 
entertain  some  Americans,  there  are  a  great  many  in 
London  at  present.  Father  has  declined  to  present 
any  at  Court.  He  is  not  resident  Minister  only  a  special 
Ambassador. 

I  ride  every  day  as  I  fear  I  am  getting  fat;  Mrs.  Baring 
has  just  told  mamma  that  she  has  invited  every  available 
member  of  the  Baring  family  to  her  Christmas  dinner. 
We  are  to  be  the  only  outsiders. 

DECEMBER  20 

Looked  in  at  White's.  All  intent  on  gambling.  While 
I  was  there  a  sum  of  £8000  changed  hands.  Had  some 
supper;  a  thick  fog,  had  to  have  a  link  man  to  show 
me  the  way  home. 

DECEMBER  21 

Dined  at  a  large  Diplomatic  dinner  at  Prince  Jules  de 
Polignac's  at  the  French  Embassy;  all  men — we  sat 
down  thirty-six.  I  was  delighted  to  meet  Montmorency; 
we  had  a  good  talk  over  our  old  days  in  Paris.  He  says 
things  are  much  changed  now,  and  that  the  King  is 
much  disliked.  Our  successors  are  not  at  all  well  re- 
ceived and  do  not  entertain  at  all.  After  dinner,  Mont- 

*Mrs.  Robert  Patterson,  widow  of  Robert  Patterson,  who  was  a 
brother  of  Madame  Bonaparte  Patterson,  married,  some  years  after  the 
death  of  her  husband,  the  Marquis  of  Wellesley,  Lord  Lieutenant  of 
Ireland,  elder  brother  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington. 

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1826]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

morency  and  I  went  for  a  short  time  to  White's  and  had 
supper  late.  London  unutterably  dull.  Mamma  is 
very  happy  as  she  has  a  perfect  riot  of  churches  to  go  to. 
It  will  be  gayer  after  Christmas,  but  only  among  the 
Corps  Diplomatique.  We  are  booked  for  several  visits. 
I  was  delighted  with  a  long  letter  from  my  dear  wife. 
All  are  well  and  seem  very  happy.  Father  will  have 
to  have  some  sort  of  reception  for  the  Americans  in  the 
New  Year.  We  really  make  quite  a  show.  We  are 
using  all  our  old  French  State  liveries — which  are  per- 
fectly fresh. 

DECEMBER  26 

We  had  a  delightful  Christmas  with  the  Barings,  who 

are  hospitality  itself.   There  are  Barings  of  all  shapes  and 

colours,  all  sizes — tall  ones,  short  ones,  lean  ones,  fat 

ones,  but  all  are  so  nice  and  cheerful;  they  seem  indeed 

a   united   family.    We  played   all   sorts   of    silly   games 

and  became  children  again.    I  could  not  keep  my  thoughts 

from  home.    Mr.  Baring  would  drink  my  wife  and  boy's 

health,  this  nearly  broke  me  up. 

We  have  a  big  reception  of  Americans  on  January  2. 

DECEMBER  29 

Driving  home  late  last  night  near  the  top  of  Park  Lane, 
we  heard  cries  for  help.  I  jumped  down  and  found  a 
hackney-coach  which  had  been  stopped  by  footpads. 
Two  lonely  females  were  in  it.  They  had  stunned  the 
jarvey.  I  at  once  escorted  them  to  our  coach  and  we 
drove  them  home.  They  lived  quite  close  to  us.  A 
Lady  Lucy  and  her  daughter.  We  had  just  come  upon 
them  in  the  nick  of  time  and  had  disturbed  the  robbers. 
We  never  go  out  at  night  without  at  least  two  footmen 
and  generally  father's  chasseur  as  well.  It  is  extra- 
ordinary how  unsafe  London  is  at  night,  and  in  the  very 
best  quarters. 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1827 

DECEMBER  30 

Rumours  of  a  change  in  the  Cabinet,  but  nothing  definite. 
The  King  comes  to  Buckingham  House  in  a  few  days. 
There  is  a  report  that  Lord  Liverpool  is  ill — not  con- 
firmed. .  .  . 

JANUARY  3,  1827 

The  "rout"  for  all  of  our  compatriots  last  night  was  as 
successful  as  any  "rout"  can  be;  to  be  several  hours 
sitting  in  a  coach  before  arriving  at  the  door  of  one's 
destination;  then  to  crawl  up  about  three  or  four  steps 
every  half-hour;  to  be  stifled  and  toes  trodden  upon; 
to  make  a  bow  to  your  hosts;  to  edge  one's  way  through 
the  crowd;  to  drink  hot  champagne  and  secure  an  ice 
down  one's  back.  Then  to  start  one's  journey  back 
again.  If  this  spells  pleasure,  then  a  "rout"  is  pleasant. 
We  indeed  take  our  pleasures  oddly. 
"  Crockford's,"  the  magnificent  new  gambling-hell  in  St. 
James's  Street,  was  opened  yesterday.  Pozzo  di  Borgo, 
Prince  Esterhazy,  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  Talleyrand, 
&c.  &c.,  all  belong  to  it.  Pozzo  took  me  under  his  wing. 
It  was  very  fine.  Supper  lavish.  It  is  to  be  the  fashion- 
able gambling  resort  of  the  aristocracy. 

JANUARY  6 

The  Duke  of  York  died  yesterday  quietly  seated  in  an 
arm-chair.  This  of  course  puts  the  Court  into  deep 
mourning.  They  say  he  never  recovered  from  the 
shock  of  the  Duchess  of  Rutland's  death — his  mistress. 
She  induced  him  to  build  that  huge  palace  in  the  Mall 
called  York  House.  He  incurred  huge  debts.  I  only 
saw  him  once  or  twice  in  1818.  He  was  a  great  contrast 
to  the  then  Prince  Regent — coarse  and  very  loud  in 
his  manners;  a  viveur  in  every  sense  of  the  word.  He 
had  the  reputation  of  being  a  most  loyal  friend,  and  never 
forsook  anybody  who  was  in  trouble.  Peace  to  his 

265 


1827]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

ashes  I  I  will  have  to  go  to  the  funeral  as  father's  health 
does  not  permit  him  to  attend  such  ceremonies. 

JANUARY  20 

We  have  had  some  difficulty  with  our  coachman.  He 
committed  an  assault  outside  the  Embassy  but  took 
refuge  when  they  were  about  to  arrest  him  in  the  Embassy. 
Of  course  no  officers  of  the  law  can  enter  an  Embassy. 
Father  was  informed  of  the  matter.  He  inquired  into 
the  facts  of  the  case  and  absolutely  refused  to  give  the 
man  up.  It  has  caused  a  good  deal  of  correspondence 
and  the  matter  is  not  yet  closed. 

Our  visit  to  Trentham  was  a  great  success.  It  is  a 
palace  indeed,  and  such  magnificence  I  have  never  seen 
outside  a  royal  residence,  either  here,  in  France,  or 
in  Russia.  Lady  Stafford  received  us  in  her  usual 
dignified  and  gracious  manner.  She  has  always  liked 
father,  I  believe,  because  Madame  de  Stael  was  so  fond 
of  him,  and  she  had  a  cult  for  her.  My  room 
was  quite  beautiful,  looking  out  on  a  fine  sheet 
of  water.  In  summer  it  must  be  perfectly  beautiful. 
Then  it  stands  empty  as  all  the  family  come  up  to  Lon- 
don. The  reception  rooms,  state  rooms,  &c.  &c., 
beggar  description,  full  of  superb  works  of  art.  We 
were  sixty  guests,  a  large  portion  of  the  Corps  Diploma- 
tique and  Mr.  Canning.  Great  ceremony  for  dinner, 
but  the  rest  of  the  day  we  were  allowed  to  do  exactly 
as  we  chose.  Horses  to  ride,  coaches  of  all  sorts  at 
our  disposal.  Dancing  and  music  in  the  evening.  I 
thoroughly  enjoyed  it.  So  did  Frances. 

JANUARY  25 

We  are  going  on  apace  with  the  negotiations  for  the 
absolutely  final  settlement  of  the  Commercial  Treaty. 
Of  course  delays  are  inevitable  in  so  important  a  matter. 
Lord  Liverpool  has  seemed  very  odd  in  his  manner 
lately  as  if  he  were  half  dazed.  Walked  in  the  Mall 

266 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1827 

this  morning  with  Frances,  the  inevitable  footman  fol- 
lowing us.  Lord  Cassillis  called  to-day  with  his  charm- 
ing wife;  she  was  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Lady  Mary  Watts. 
Lady  Mary  was  brought  up  in  America  as  she  and  her 
sister,  Lady  Cathrine  Duer,  were  the  daughters  of  Lord 
Stirling.  Mamma  had  known  them  well. 

FEBRUARY 

There  is  a  Cabinet  crisis  which  has  kept  everything 
at  a  standstill — very  annoying.  We  dined  with  the 
Duke  of  Devonshire  yesterday,  at  his  house  in  Piccadilly. 
He  is  a  most  gracious  host.  Snappy  Charles  Greville, 
always  asking  questions  and  taking  notes,  was  there. 
A  book  called  "Vivian  Grey,"  published  by  Colburn 
and  immensely  puffed,  appeared  last  year.  There  were 
many  surmises  as  to  who  the  author  was.  Great 
names  were  mentioned  and  there  was  much  speculation 
on  the  matter.  It  now  turns  out  to  be  by  a  quite 
unknown  youth  called  Disraeli,  a  Jew.  Greville  had  the 
audacity  to  say  that  he  knew  who  the  author  was  from 
the  first.  Father  thought  well  of  the  book.  Lady 
Conyngham  appears  in  the  depth  of  mourning  for  the 
Duke  of  York.  This  causes  much  amusement.  I  do  not 
think  we  will  remain  here  much  longer.  I  am  most 
anxious  to  return  home. 

Father  is  really  despondent,  everything  goes  at  a  snail's 
pace.  Mr.  Adams  after  promising  him  an  absolutely 
free  hand  is  evidently  irritated  by  Mr.  Clay's  continual 
interference  and  also  influenced  by  him.  Father  looks 
upon  Mr.  Clay  as  simply  an  obstinate  firebrand  who  is 
not  capable  of  grasping  or  dealing  with  a  subject  without 
prejudice.  The  present  negotiations  are  of  a  most  delicate 
nature  and  have  to  be  treated  as  such.  Here  it  seems 
the  custom  for  statesmen  to  conceal  the  truth.  In 
France  they  do  not  pretend  to  tell  the  truth.  The 
President  has  written  a  private  letter  to  father  begging 
him  to  remain  in  England.  It  is  flattering  to  his  vanity, 

267 


1827]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

but  he  has  none.  He  is  determined  after  this  mission 
is  fulfilled  to  give  up  political  life  altogether. 

FEBRUARY  28 

Lord  Liverpool  had  a  stroke  on  the  17th,  and  died  yester- 
day. Father  does  not  think  this  will  make  any  difference. 
He  hopes  that  Mr.  Canning  will  not  be  Prime  Minister. 
It  will  be  some  time  before  anything  definite  is  decided. 

MARCH 

We  seem  to  be  slowly  creeping  toward  the  end.  Patience 
is  the  only  thing  and  we  want  a  sack  full  of  it.  Supped 
at  Crockford's  last  night.  Talleyrand  was  opposite  to  me 
and  looked  more  like  an  ape  than  ever.  The  absolute 
silence  of  the  gambling-rooms  is  extraordinary.  I  cannot 
realize  the  passion  for  gambling.  I  suppose  it  is  a  disease, 
like  everything  else.  Father  has  little  dinners  of  his 
beloved  cronies,  Humboldt,  Pozzo  di  Borgo,  Baring,  &c. 
I  really  enjoy  their  delightful  conversation — their 
contempt  for  the  world  amuses  me. 

MARCH 

The  weather,  which  has  been  dreadful,  is  a  little  better. 
No  entertaining  to  speak  of.  Desperately  dull.  I  am 
glad  I  have  plenty  of  work  to  do.  Mr.  Lawrence  seems 
very  capable  and  father  is  much  pleased  with  him. 

APRIL  10 

Mr.  Canning  is  now  Prime  Minister.  It  seems  to  have 
put  him  into  a  good  temper  and  he  is  far  more  gracious, 
although  his  temper  at  times  is  very  trying.  Father, 
much  to  his  disgust,  has  been  summoned  by  the  King 
to  Brighton — I  go  with  him. 

APRIL  15 

We  only  stopped  one  night  at  Brighton.  Rooms  had  been 
prepared  for  us  at  a  house  close  to  the  Pavilion,  which 

268 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1827 

the  King  keeps  for  his  guests.  We  were  received  by 
his  Majesty,  who  was  lying  on  a  divan — he  could  hardly 
hold  himself  up.  Lady  Conyngham  was  present  at 
first,  but  at  a  nod  from  the  King,  retired.  She  looks 
as  if  she  had  something  of  a  temper.  The  King  spoke 
on  several  political  subjects,  and  for  a  wonder  with  great 
lucidity.  He  said  suddenly,  "Canning  is  a  damned 
old  woman."  We  were  bid  to  sup  with  the  Royal  circle. 
I  could  see  that  father  could  hardly  dissemble  his  disgust. 
The  conversation  was  boisterous  and  indecent.  Cards 
after  supper,  and  on  a  plea  of  being  very  fatigued  father 
begged  leave  to  retire.  He  and  I  went  for  a  walk  by  the 
sea.  The  only  remark  he  made  was,  "And  that  is  a 
King."  We  left  in  the  morning  without  seeing  His 
Majesty. 

APRIL  24 

Mr.  Canning's  temper  has  become  most  uncertain.  At 
dinner  last  night  father  was  sitting  next  to  Baron  Hum- 
boldt;  after  dinner,  Mr.  Canning  came  up  to  father  and 
said,  "The  opinion  universally  entertained  abroad  and 
generally  in  England  is  that  the  Government  is  an  aris- 
tocracy— it  is  not,  it  is  a  monarchy."  Both  father  and 
Baron  Humboldt  were  much  surprised  at  this  extra- 
ordinary outburst.  They  could  not  explain  it.  Some 
of  the  gentlemen  sitting  near,  too,  heard  this  remark 
and  seemed  much  astonished.  Later  on  the  Duke  of 
Wellington  had  a  chair  brought  and  placed  between 
father  and  Humboldt.  He  made  himself  most  agreeable, 
but  seemed  worried  about  something.  He  suddenly 
said,  "Do  you  find  anything  odd  in  Mr.  Canning's 
manner  ?  " 

ALBERT  GALLATIN  to  HENRY  CLAY 

LONDON,  April  28,  1827 

...  At  the  dinner  of  the  23rd,  Mr.  Canning  came  near 
Baron  Humboldt  and  me  and  told  us,  "You  see  that 

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1827]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

the  opinion  universally  entertained  abroad,  and  very 
generally  indeed  in  England,  that  this  Government  is 
an  aristocracy,  is  not  true.  It  is,"  said  he  emphatically, 
"a  monarchy.  The  Whigs  had  found  it  out  in  1784, 
when  they  tried  to  oppose  the  King's  prerogative  of 
choosing  his  Prime  Minister.  The  Tories  have  now  re- 
peated the  same  experiment,  and  with  no  greater  success." 
He  appears  certainly  very  confident,  and  speaks  of  any 
intended  opposition  in  Parliament  as  if  he  had  no  fear 
of  it.  As  all  the  leading  newspapers  are  in  his  favour, 
I  enclose  the  only  pamphlet  of  note  that  has  appeared 
on  the  other  side. 

An  infusion  of  Whiggism  in  the  Ministry,  by  the 
accession  of  such  a  man  as  the  Marquis  of  Lansdowne, 
might  perhaps,  after  a  while,  have  produced  some  favour- 
able change  in  the  policy  of  the  Administration  towards 
the  United  States.  For  the  present,  none  can  be  ex- 
pected. I  do  not  believe  that  there  is  a  single  question 
between  us  in  which  the  Ministers  will  not  be  supported 
by  the  public  opinion  of  the  country  in  taking  rank 
ground  against  us.  Our  dependence  for  friendly  arrange- 
ments rests  solely  on  the  superior  sense  of  the  Ministers. 
Unfortunately  Mr.  Huskisson  *  is  less  favourably  disposed 
towards  the  United  States,  principally  on  the  commercial 
subjects,  than  towards  any  other  country.  And,  having 
to  meet  in  other  respects  a  formidable  opposition  to  his 
plans,  he  may  be  disposed  to  regain  some  popularity 
with  the  shipping  interest  to  pursuing  with  the  United 
States  measures  inconsistent  with  his  avowed  general 
principles  on  that  subject.  If  there  is  any  reaction 
as  relates  to  us,  it  must  come  from  the  West  Indies,  and 
perhaps,  at  last,  from  the  manufacturing  interests. 

I  have  been  compelled  to  remain  perfectly  quiet  for 
the  last  months;  but  now  that  a  temporary  Adminis- 
tration is  formed,  which  will  last  at  least  as  long  as  this 

*  William  Huskisson,  Colonial  Secretary  1827,  responsible  for  the 
repeal  of  the  Navigation  laws. 

270 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1827 

session  of  Parliament,  I  will  ascertain  in  the  course  of 
next  week  whether  it  is  intended  that  our  negotiations 
should  be  resumed.  Mr.  Canning,  on  the  23rd,  again 
expressed  great  regret  that  they  should  have  been  so 
long  interrupted,  and  intimated  his  intention  of  having, 
within  a  few  days,  a  special  conversation  with  me. 
I  have  the  honour,  and  &c., 

ALBERT  GALLATIN 

MAY 

People  are  returning  to  London,  and  it  promises  to  be  a 
very  gay  season.  Already  we  have  several  invitations, 
but  we  are  here  for  too  short  a  time  to  make  really  any 
friends.  The  Court  returns  to  Buckingham  House  in 
June,  but  there  will  not  be  any  Court  entertainments, 
which  is  a  relief.  London  is  looking  her  best  now; 
the  Park  is  gay  with  flowers.  I  ride  out  to  Kew  and  Rich- 
mond in  the  early  morning — before  anybody  is  stirring. 
Lady  Kensington  has  been  most  kind  to  mamma  and 
Frances.  Miss  Edwards  and  the  latter  are  inseparable. 
I  go  sometimes  to  Holland  House,  which  is  very  beautiful. 

JUNE 

Took  Frances  to  Kew  Gardens  this  afternoon.  Flowers 
and  plants  beautiful.  Dinner  at  the  French  Embassy. 
Glad  to  see  some  of  my  old  Paris  friends.  Mr.  Canning 
more  and  more  odd  in  his  manner.  Lord  Goderich 
had  a  long  interview  with  father  this  morning. 

JUNE  4 

Took  Frances  to  Eton  for  the  4th  of  June.  A  fine  com- 
pany, a  very  charming  sight.  The  procession  of  boats 
delightful  and  very  English.  We  are  stopping  at  the 
White  Hart  Inn,  directly  opposite  the  Castle.  Lady 
Kensington,  her  son  and  daughter,  are  of  our  party. 

JUNE  10 

Matters  are  going  on  very  well,  and  father  has  great 
hopes  of  a  speedy  settlement.  A  splendid  banquet 

271 


1827]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

at  the  Duke  of  Wellington's  last  night.  A  wonderful 
display  of  gold  plate.  A  rout  at  Lady  Lansdowne's. 
It  took  me  exactly  one  hour  to  get  from  the  top  to  the 
bottom  of  the  stairs.  I  was  wedged  between  Charles 
Greville  and  an  immensely  fat  Dowager.  We  all  three 
moved  step  by  step  together — and  this  is  called  pleasure. 
Dinner  at  Devonshire  House  to-night.  The  Court  is  at 
Buckingham  House,  but  no  entertaining. 

JUNE  15 

Frances  has  just  come  in  from  a  walk  in  the  Mall.  She 
made  us  guess  whom  she  met — fat  Miss  Bates  whom  we 
brought  from  America  with  us.  The  King  was  in  a 
wheeled  chair;  Lady  Conyngham  walking  along  side  of 
him.  The  weather  intolerably  hot.  Good  news  from 
home.  All  are  well.  Plenty  of  work  for  me  to-night. 

JULY 

Work,  work,  work,  nothing  but  work,  copying  dispatches, 
preparing  drafts  of  treaty,  only  to  be  torn  up  and  new 
ones  made.  Weather  intolerably  hot.  I  will  be  glad 
when  all  is  signed  and  sealed  and  we  can  have  a  little 
breathing  time.  Mamma  and  Frances  in  their  element 
as  they  are  dining  out  every  night,  and  routs  and  balls 
following.  Mrs.  Baring  is  most  assiduous  in  her  atten- 
tions and  insists  on  chaperoning  Frances  when  mamma 
is  tired. 

AUGUST 

Bad  rumours  of  Mr.  Canning's  health;  some  say  he 
cannot  possibly  live. 

AUGUST  10 

Mr.  Canning  died  on  the  8th.  Lord  Goderich,  much  to 
father's  delight,  is  Prime  Minister.  All  will  now  be 
plain  sailing.  When  this  treaty  is  signed  it  will  be  a 
final  and  we  hope  a  lasting  one.  Certainly  nothing 

272 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1827 

has  been  left  to  chance,  every  detail  has  been  discussed, 
assuring  peace  for  years  to  come. 

ALBERT  GALLATIN  to  HENRY  CLAY 

LONDON,  Augwt  14,  1827 
SIR, 

It  is  now  understood  that  the  new  Administration  of 
this  country  is  to  be  but  a  continuation  of  that  of  Mr.  Can- 
ning, to  act  on  the  same  principles,  and  no  new  appoint- 
ments to  be  made  but  those  that  are  strictly  necessary. 

Lord  Goderich  is  First  Lord  of  the  Treasury.  Lord 
Harrowby,  President  of  the  Council,  retires  from  office, 
principally  on  account  of  a  domestic  affliction.  Marquis 
Lansdowne,  Lord  Dudley,  and  the  other  Ministers, 
with  the  exception  perhaps  of  Mr.  Huskisson,  remain  in 
their  respective  offices.  The  Duke  of  Wellington  may 
resume  his  place  of  Commander-in-Chief,  but  without  a 
seat  in  the  Cabinet,  which  he  could  not  with  propriety 
have  accepted,  since  his  fellow-seceders  were  excluded. 
Mr.  Peel,  and  this  is  the  greatest  loss  to  the  Administra- 
tion, cannot  at  this  time  come  in,  having  so  lately  com- 
mitted himself  by  his  solemn  declaration  that  his  reason 
for  resigning  was  that  he  could  not  make  part  of  an 
Administration  at  the  head  of  which  was  a  friend  to 
Catholic  emancipation. 

The  places  to  be  filled  are:  (1)  the  President  of  the 
Council;  and  I  have  not  heard  who  is  intended,  perhaps 
the  Duke  of  Portland;  (2)  Colonial  Department,  vacant 
by  Lord  Goderich's  promotion;  (3)  Chancellor  of  the  Ex- 
chequer, an  office  which  as  a  peer  he  cannot  fill.  It  is 
probable  that  the  option  of  these  two  places  will  be  given 
to  Mr.  Huskisson,  now  on  the  Continent,  where  he  was 
to  remain  three  months,  but  whom  the  late  event  will 
probably  bring  back.  The  last  place  is  that  for  which 
he  is  best  qualified,  and  to  which  he  is  called  by  public 
opinion — but  his  precarious  health  will  probably  induce 
him  to  take  the  Colonial  Department,  as  less  laborious 

273 


1827]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

and,  above  all,  as  requiring  less  public  speaking.  In 
that  case  Mr.  Herries,  the  principal  Under-Secretary 
of  the  Treasury,  and  a  capable  man,  but  without  political 
influence,  will  probably  be  the  Chancellor,  though  Lord 
Palmerston  is  also  spoken  of;  and  Mr.  Grant,  now 
Vice-President,  will  naturally  become  President  of  the 
Board  of  Trade. 

The  great  difficulty  is  who  shall  succeed  Mr.  Canning 
as  leader  of  the  House  of  Commons.  Mr.  Peel,  who 
would  have  more  of  their  confidence  than  any  other  man, 
is  out  of  the  question;  and  all  that  can  be  hoped  is  that, 
agreeing  on  almost  every  subject  but  that  of  the  Catholic 
emancipation  with  the  members  of  the  Cabinet,  he 
will  not  become  the  leader  of  an  opposition.  Without 
him  there  hardly  can  be  one  in  the  House  of  Commons; 
and  the  return  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington  to  the  command 
of  the  Army  would  go  far  to  paralyse  that  in  the  House 
of  Lords,  whilst  it  would  add  to  the  weight  of  the 
Administration  abroad.  Mr.  Brougham  is  undoubtedly 
the  first  man  in  the  House  of  Commons,  superior  to  Mr. 
Canning  in  force  and  logic,  at  least  equal  in  sarcastic 
powers,  far  more  consistent  in  his  political  opinions; 
but  these  are  much  too  rank  for  the  House,  and,  perhaps 
for  the  nation.  Not  even  a  moderate  Whig  would  do 
for  the  present,  and  Mr.  Brougham  is,  besides  too  harsh, 
better  calculated  to  drive  than  to  lead.  Mr.  Huskisson 
is,  therefore,  the  only  man;  and  he  is  accordingly  looked 
on  and  intended  as  the  Ministerial  leader  in  the  House. 

This  place,  for  it  is  one  united  to  the  superiority  of 
his  talents  and  energy  over  his  colleagues,  would  make 
him  in  reality  almost  Prime  Minister,  if  he  was  not 
rather  a  sensible  than  an  eloquent  speaker,  and  if 
it  was  not  that  he  must  govern  through  at  least  two  of 
his  associates — Lord  Goderich,  who  besides  all  the  patron- 
age of  his  office,  must  be  considered  as  the  head  of  the 
moderate  Tory  Party,  and  Marquis  Lansdowne,  who  is 
the  head  of  almost  the  whole  Whig  Party;  both  also 
greatly  and  justly  respected,  and  men  of  sound  judg- 

274 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1827 

ment  and  solid,  if  not  showy,  talents.  Power  will  be 
more  divided  than  under  Mr.  Canning.  I  think  that  the 
influence  of  Marquis  Lansdowne  would  be  greater  if 
he  could  be  transferred  to  the  Foreign  Office.  As  matters 
now  stand,  the  great  political  questions  will  be  decided 
by  the  Cabinet.  Mr.  Huskisson  will  have  more  weight 
in  those  affecting  the  finances  of  the  country;  he  will 
direct  almost  exclusively  (with  the  exception  of  the  corn 
question)  the  commercial  regulations,  whether  interior 
or  in  their  connexion  with  foreign  relations. 

There  will,  therefore,  be  no  change  in  the  policy  of 
Great  Britain  towards  us.  The  question  of  Colonial  inter- 
course was  decided  almost  entirely  by  Mr.  Huskisson's 
influence.  He  adheres  to  that  decision,  and  immediately 
before  leaving  the  country  again  committed  himself  in 
that  respect  by  positive  assurance  to  merchants  interested 
in  the  subject.  All  the  difficulties  in  renewing  the  com- 
mercial convention,  and  the  determination  not  to  renew 
it  unless  it  might  be  rescinded  at  will,  also  originated 
with  him.  He  has  an  undue  and  not  very  liberal  jealousy 
of  the  increasing  navigation  of  the  United  States.  In 
other  respects  he  cannot  be  said  to  be  hostile  to  them; 
and  he  would  wish  that  causes  of  actual  rupture  might 
be  removed.  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  he  would  be 
in  favour  of  a  satisfactory  arrangement  on  the  subject 
of  impressment. 

His  views  in  regard  of  the  country  west  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  are,  on  the  whole,  temperate,  and  the  diffi- 
culties on  the  subject  of  the  North-East  Boundary  cannot 
be  ascribed  to  him.  Whether  his  reign  will  last  is  ex- 
tremely doubtful,  his  general  health  is  precarious,  and 
he  has  an  organic  affection  of  the  throat,  so  serious 
that  he  never  made  a  long  speech  during  the  last  session 
of  Parliament  without  experiencing  a  relapse. 

The  present  Administration  will,  at  all  events,  last  till 
after  the  next  meeting  of  Parliament  in  January,  and 
will  probably  become  permanent  if  not  disturbed  by 
untoward  events.  The  critical  situation  of  affairs  in 

275 


1842]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

Portugal  is  at  this  moment  the  principal  cause  of 
embarrassment. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be  respectfully,  sir, 

Your  most  obedient  servant, 

ALBERT  GALLATIN 
AUGUST  16 

A  treaty  was  signed  to-day  which  continues  the  Com- 
mercial Convention  of  1815  indefinitely.  All  is  now 
entirely  satisfactorily  settled  and  we  return  at  once  to 
America. 

SEPTEMBER 

London  empty.  We  have  to  go  to  Brighton  to  take  formal 
leave  of  his  Majesty.  We  sail  on  October  9.  All 
left  now  for  us  to  do  is  to  settle  our  domestic  affairs. 
Mamma  and  Frances  are  paying  some  farewell  visits  in 
the  country.  Father  is  serenely  content  and  believes 
there  will  be  peace  for  many  years  between  Great  Britain 
and  the  United  States. 

OCTOBER  9:  LIVERPOOL 

We  embark  to-morrow  morning.  The  weather  very  bad. 
It  is  a  bad  season  of  the  year  but  we  must  take  our  chance. 
Mr.  Lawrence  and  Mr.  Baring  have  accompanied  us 
here — most  kind  of  the  latter.  I  leave  with  some  regret, 
but  long  to  see  my  dear  wife  and  child.  Now  for  a  new 
life  in  the  New  World. 

The  following  letter  from  Lord  Ashburton  to  Albert  Gallatin,  seven  years 
before  the  latter' s  death,  is  of  interest  as  showing  at  once  the  friendly  feel- 
ing between  America  and  England  which  was  the  fruit  of  his  labours,  and 
also  the  great  esteem  in  which  he  himself  was  held. 

LORD  ASHBURTON  to  ALBERT  GALLATIN 

WASHINGTON,  April  12,  1842 
DEAR  MR.  GALLATIN, 

My  first  destination   was  to   approach   America 
through  New  York,  but  the  winds  decided  otherwise, 

276 


DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN        [1842 

and  I  was  landed  at  Annapolis.  In  one  respect  only  this 
was  a  disappointment,  and  a  serious  one.  I  should  have 
much  wished  to  seek  you  out  in  your  retreat  to  renew 
an  old  and  highly  valued  acquaintance,  and  I  believe 
and  hope  I  may  add,  friendship;  to  talk  over  with  you 
the  Old  and  New  World,  their  follies  and  their  wisdom, 
their  present  and  bygone  actors,  all  of  which  nobody 
understands  so  well  as  you  do,  and,  what  is  more  rare, 
nobody  that  has  crossed  my  passage  in  life  has  appeared 
to  me  to  judge  with  the  same  candid  impartiality.  This 
pleasure  of  meeting  you  is,  I  trust,  only  deferred.  I  shall, 
if  I  live  to  accomplish  my  work  here,  certainly  not 
leave  the  country  without  an  attempt  to  find  you  out 
and  to  draw  a  little  wisdom  from  the  best  well,  though 
it  may  be  too  late  for  my  use  in  the  work  I  have  in  hand 
and  very  much  at  heart. 

You  will  probably  be  surprised  at  my  undertaking 
this  task  at  my  period  of  life,  and  when  I  am  left  to  my 
own  thoughts  I  am  sometimes  surprised  myself  at  my 
rashness.  People  here  stare  when  I  tell  them  that  I 
listened  to  the  debates  in  Congress  on  Mr.  Jay's  treaty 
in  1795,  and  seem  to  think  that  some  antediluvian  has 
come  amongst  them  out  of  his  grave.  The  truth  is  that 
I  was  tempted  by  my  great  anxiety  in  the  cause,  and 
the  extreme  peace  between  our  countries.  The  latter 
circumstance  induced  my  political  friends  to  press  this 
appointment  upon  me,  and  with  much  hesitation,  founded 
solely  upon  my  health  and  age,  I  yielded.  In  short,  here 
I  am.  My  reception  has  been  everything  I  could  expect 
or  wish;  but  your  experience  will  tell  you  that  little  can 
be  inferred  from  this  until  real  business  is  entered  upon. 
I  can  only  say  that  it  shall  not  be  my  fault  if  we  do  not 
continue  to  live  on  better  terms  than  we  have  lately  done, 
and,  if  I  do  not  understand  the  present  very  anomalous 
state  of  parties  here,  or  misinterpret  public  opinion 
generally,  there  appears  to  be  no  class  of  politicians 
of  any  respectable  character  indisposed  to  peace  with  us 

277 


1842]        DIARY  OF  JAMES  GALLATIN 

on  reasonable  terms.  I  expect  and  desire  to  obtain  no 
other,  and  my  present  character  of  a  diplomatist  is  so 
new  to  me  that  I  know  no  other  course  but  candour  and 
plain  dealing.  The  most  inexpert  protocolist  would  beat 
me  hollow  at  such  work.  I  rely  on  your  good  wishes, 
my  dear  sir,  though  I  have  nothing  else,  and  that  you 
will  believe  me  unfeignedly  yours, 

ASHBURTON 


278 


APPENDIX  I 

Correspondence  between  Albert  Gallatin  and  Alexander 
Baring;  showing  the  state  of  feeling  in  England  towards 
America  and  the  possibilities  of  the  success  of  the  mission. 

ALBERT  GALLATIN  to  MESSRS.  BARING  BROS.  &  CO. 

GOTTENBURG,  June  22,  1813 
GENTLEMEN, 

The  President  of  the  United  States  having  ac- 
cepted on  the  part  of  the  said  States  the  mediation  offered 
by  the  Emperor  of  Russia,  Mr.  Bayard  and  myself  have 
been  appointed,  jointly  with  Mr.  Adams,  Ministers, 
with  full  powers  to  treat  of  peace  with  such  Ministers  as 
may  be  appointed  on  the  part  of  Great  Britain.  We 
left  the  United  States  in  the  public  ship  Neptune,  Captain 
Lloyd  Jones,  on  May  11,  arrived  here  on  the  20th 
instant,  and  intend  to  proceed  this  evening  in  the  ship 
on  our  way  to  St.  Petersburg. 

We  are  authorized  to  draw  on  you  for  our  salaries 
and  for  the  contingent  expenses  of  the  mission,  and, 
in  order  to  assist  us  with  the  best  mode  of  negotiating 
bills,  will  thank  you  to  let  us  know  at  St.  Petersburg 
the  course  of  exchange  between  London  and  Amsterdam. 

We  will  also  be  obliged  to  you  to  have  the  account  and 
date  of  our  arrival  in  Lloyd's  list  and  some  other  paper, 
as  it  may  give  to  our  friends  in  America  the  earliest 
account  of  our  safe  arrival. 

Of  the  fact  that  we  are  appointed  to  treat  and  on  our 
way  to  St.  Petersburg  for  that  purpose,  as  stated  in  the 

279 


APPENDIX  I 

first  paragraph  of  this  letter,  I  should  wish  your  Govern- 
ment to  be  informed.  And  we  will  be  thankful  for  any 
intelligence  connected  with  our  mission  which  you  may 
deem  important  and  which  you  may  feel  at  liberty  to 
communicate.  We  sailed  with  a  passport  from  Admiral 
Warren;  and  whatever  may  be  the  result  of  this  mission, 
we  feel  anxious  to  return  speedily  and  safely  to  America. 
We  will  detain  the  Neptune  at  St.  Petersburg  for  that 
purpose,  and  may  want  a  passport  from  your  Govern- 
ment for  her  return  with  ourselves  and  suite  on  board. 
It  is  presumable  that  this  will  be  obtained  without 
difficulty.  And  will  thank  you  to  make  the  inquiry, 
and  to  cause,  if  necessary,  such  passport  to  be  forwarded 
to  us  at  St.  Petersburg. 

ALBERT  GALLATIN 

ALEXANDER  BARING  to  ALBERT  GALLATIN 

LONDON,  July  22,  1813 
DEAR  SIR, 

The  letter  with  which  you  honoured  my  house 
from  Gottenburg  has  remained  for  a  few  days  unanswered, 
for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  the  information  necessary 
to  enable  me  to  make  a  satisfactory  reply. 

For  the  money  you  may  require  you  will  please  to  direct 
drafts  upon  us  or  on  Amsterdam  in  any  manner  you  may 
think  expedient.  Messrs.  Meyer  and  Bruxner,  bankers 
at  St.  Petersburg,  by  whom  this  letter  will  be  conveyed 
to  you,  have  our  directions  to  obey  any  orders  you  may 
give  them  on  this  subject,  presuming  that  you  will  prefer 
not  to  let  your  own  drafts  go  into  public  circulation. 
Our  present  exchange  with  Holland  is  about  79  the 
pound  sterling,  which  will  enable  you  to  calculate  what 
mode  of  reimbursement  will  best  answer  your  purpose. 

I  have  taken  care  to  make  in  the  proper  quarter  the 
communications  you  desire,  and,  as  you  express  a  wish 
to  be  informed  of  any  occurrences  here,  relating  to  your 
mission,  some  observations  may  perhaps  be  acceptable 

280 


APPENDIX  I 

on  the  dispositions  of  Government  and  of  the  public 
concerning  it,  upon  which  I  have  good  reason  to  assure  you 
that  you  may  perfectly  rely. 

I  anticipated  the  most  favourable  result  from  the 
names  which  constituted  the  new  commission,  and  felt 
confident  that  we  should  soon  see  an  end  of  this  senseless 
war.  I  was  quite  sure  you  would  not  leave  your  home 
without  the  powers  and  the  disposition  to  do  your  country 
this  essential  service,  and  although  the  place  fixed  upon 
for  the  negotiation,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  was 
proposed  to  conduct  it,  considerably  abated  the  confidence 
of  the  public,  I  never  entertained  those  doubts  of  the 
sincerity  of  America  with  which  those  circumstances 
inspired  others. 

The  mediation  of  Russia  was  offered,  not  sought — it 
was  fairly  and  frankly  accepted.  I  do  not  see  how 
America  could  with  any  consistency  refuse  it;  but  to 
the  eyes  of  a  European  politician  it  was  clear  that  such 
an  interference  could  produce  no  practical  benefit.  The 
only  question  now  seriously  at  issue  between  us  is  one 
purely  of  a  domestic  nature  in  each  country  respectively; 
no  foreign  Government  can  fairly  judge  it.  A  question 
of  the  relative  rights  and  duties  of  Sovereign  and  subject 
between  two  great  countries,  where,  owing  to  their 
recent  separation,  a  distinction  between  the  great  masses 
of  their  seafaring  population  becomes  almost  impossible, 
can  only  exist  between  Great  Britain  and  America;  no 
other  country  can  judge  of  the  various  positions  of  great 
delicacy  and  importance  to  which  such  a  state  of  things 
must  give  rise;  and  even  where  the  best  understanding 
prevails  between  European  courts,  there  are  shades  of 
difference  and  sometimes  feelings  of  various  sorts  which 
must  prevent  any  cordial  mediation  on  such  points. 
On  the  other  hand,  what  a  handle  does  such  a  subject 
offer  for  fomenting  discord  on  points  totally  foreign 
from  it!  We  have  lately  seen  a  threat  of  dragging 
American  politics  into  a  German  congress,  among  Powers 

281 


APPENDIX  I 

neither  understanding  nor  caring  for  any  of  its  interest, 
but  merely  to  enable  them  to  wrangle  the  more  dexter- 
ously about  their  own. 

This  is  not  the  way  for  Great  Britain  and  America  really 
to  settle  their  disputes;  intelligent  persons  of  the  two 
countries  might  devise  mutual  securities  and  concessions 
which  perhaps  neither  country  would  offer  in  the  presence 
of  a  third  party.  It  is  a  sort  of  family  quarrel,  where 
foreign  interferences  can  only  do  harm  and  irritate  at  any 
time,  but  more  especially  in  the  present  state  of  Europe, 
when  attempts  would  be  made  to  make  a  tool  of  America 
in  a  manner  which  I  am  sure  neither  you  nor  your 
colleagues  would  sanction. 

These,  I  have  good  reason  to  know,  are  pretty  nearly  the 
sentiments  of  Government  here  on  the  question  of  place 
of  negotiation  and  foreign  mediation,  and  before  this 
reaches  you  you  will  have  been  informed  that  this  media- 
tion has  been  refused,  with  expressions  of  our  desire  to 
treat  separately  and  directly  here,  or,  if  more  agreeable 
to  you,  at  Gottenburg. 

I  believe  you  may  rely  upon  it  that  from  this  resolution 
we  shall  not  here  depart,  not  only  from  the  sense  of  the 
objections  I  have  already  stated  to  a  mediating  negotia- 
tion, but  that  your  persevering  in  such  a  course  will  be 
considered  here  as  the  touchstone  of  your  sincerity.  Al- 
though I  trust  our  Government  does  not  participate  in 
the  prevailing  opinion  here  that  a  secret  political  con- 
nexion exists  with  France,  yet  your  persevering  in  bringing 
this  insulated  question  before  the  Powers  of  the  Continent 
would  favour  those  suspicions,  and  induce  Ministers 
to  believe  that  your  only  object  was  to  assist  France  in 
the  sort  of  mystification  and  confusion  in  which  it  often 
suits  her  purpose  to  envolve  her  diplomatic  negotiations. 

I  trust  that  these  considerations,  duly  weighed,  will 
satisfy  you  that  no  inference  is  to  be  drawn  from  our 
refusal  of  the  Russian  mediation  unfavourable  to  our  dis- 
position for  peace,  and  that  if  we  wish  to  remove  the  seat  of 


APPENDIX  I 

the  negotiation  it  is  in  reality  for  the  purpose  of  coming 
at  that  result  with  more  certainty.  This  city  has,  I 
understand,  been  proposed  to  you,  and  Gottenburg 
offered  as  an  alternative  in  case  you  do  not  choose  to 
trust  yourselves  so  near  to  us. 

My  hopes  of  a  favourable  result  would  be  much  in- 
creased by  your  coming  at  once  in  contact  with  our 
Ministers.  The  advantages  in  all  cases  of  treating  this 
principle  are  obvious,  but  the  peculiar  character  of  the 
point  in  dispute  gives  them  greater  weight.  You  would 
find  any  Minister  of  this  country  very  cautious  in  giving 
instructions  to  any  plenipotentiary  to  treat  on  a  subject 
of  so  much  delicacy  as  the  rights  and  duties  of  Sovereign 
and  subject.  Those  instructions  must  remain  recorded 
in  his  office,  and  may  be  called  for  by  Parliament.  Con- 
cessions might  be  made,  securities  and  substitutes  de- 
vised, and  difficulties  overcome  in  a  direct  negotiation 
which  I  should  almost  despair  of  if  it  were  to  be  carried 
on  at  a  distance;  and  I  am  quite  sure  that  the  mass 
of  intelligence  which  your  commission  affords  on  the 
relative  policy  of  Great  Britain  and  America  is  more 
than  a  match  for  all  our  island  can  produce  on  the  same 
subject,  upon  which  the  ignorance  of  many  of  our  lead- 
ing characters  would  probably  surprise  you.  But  you 
would  naturally  wish  to  ask  the  question  whether,  should 
you  consent  to  come  here  to  negotiate,  there  is  a  prob- 
able chance  of  a  favourable  result.  Upon  this  I  will 
give  you  my  candid  opinion,  and  I  know  that  I 
can,  without  deceiving  you,  state  the  sentiments  of 
Government. 

That  we  wish  for  a  restoration  of  peace  with  you  need 
not  be  argued.  Our  situation,  the  great  contest  in 
which  we  are  engaged,  make  it  impossible  that  we  should 
be  otherwise  than  heartily  desirous  of  putting  an  end  to 
a  contest  from  which  we  suffer  considerably  (though 
perhaps,  less  than  was  anticipated),  and  from  which  no 
good  can  result.  The  extent  of  the  injury  which  the  two 

283 


APPENDIX  I 

countries  can  do  each  other  is  now  pretty  well  ascertained, 
we  can  tease  and  weaken  each  other  without  any  practical 
result,  and  you  cannot  for  a  moment  doubt  our  wish  to 
carry  the  resources  now  employed  in  defending  ourselves 
against  you  into  the  more  important  field  of  European 
contest. 

With  these  feelings,  why  has  the  war  continued  so  long  ? 
The  only  serious  point  at  issue  may  be  said  to  be  that  of 
the  impressment  of  seamen — a  question  presenting  of 
itself  serious  and  not  imaginary  difficulties.  To  hope  for 
any  solution  of  them  the  disposition  on  both  sides  must  be 
sincere,  the  spirit  of  peace  must  animate  both  parties, 
and  I  will  not  disguise  from  you  that  when  America  set 
this  question  of  seamen  up  as  cause  of  war  after  the  great 
effort  for  conciliation  was  made  in  the  repeal  of  the  Orders 
in  Council,  the  prevalent  opinion  here  was  that  the  war 
was  a  war  of  passion  with  the  people  of  America,  and  that 
concessions  would  only  show  weakness,  and  never  satisfy 
them,  and  that  therefore  no  alternative  was  left  to  us  but 
to  fight  it  out  as  well  as  we  could.  Whether  this  opinion 
was  well  or  ill  founded  need  not  now  be  discussed;  it 
prevented  at  the  time  any  deliberate  consideration  of  the 
question  of  seamen,  which  was  considered  merely  as  a 
pretext,  to  be  followed  by  some  other  if  once  removed. 
This  opinion  I  believe  to  be,  in  as  far  as  Government  is 
concerned,  on  the  change.  The  representation  of  persons 
desirous  of  seeing  a  return  of  peace  on  honourable  terms, 
a  growing  opinion  that  America  has  a  real  and  serious 
interest  in  this  question  of  seamen,  the  repeated  wish 
expressed  by  your  Executive,  and  above  all,  the  characters 
appointed  for  the  pacific  mission  to  St.  Petersburg,  have 
excited  hopes;  there  is  a  disposition  to  examine  the 
question,  and  I  am  quite  certain  that  I  can  now  assure 
you  that  should  you  come  here  you  will  be  received  with 
confidence  in  your  intentions,  with  great  personal  respect, 
and  with  a  determination  to  come  to  terms  of  peace  with 
you  if  it  be  found  practicable  to  do  so  consistently  with  the 

284 


APPENDIX  I 

safety  of  our  maritime  power,  supposed  to  be,  and  which 
undoubtedly  is,  involved  in  this  question. 

So  much  I  can  confidently  say  of  the  disposition  existing 
here.  But  are  the  difficulties,  supposing  the  disposition 
on  both  sides  to  be  perfect,  of  themselves  insurmountable, 
or  are  we  doomed  to  the  necessity  of  perpetual  war? 
Upon  this  point  I  will  give  you  with  sincerity  my  opinion: 
I  shall  not  trouble  you  with  any  extensive  discussion  of 
a  subject  with  which  you  are  so  well  acquainted.  The 
difficulties  are  very  considerable,  but,  although  I  can 
hardly  say  that  I  think  they  can  be  surmounted  to  the 
entire  satisfaction  of  both  parties,  I  do  think  that  by 
sincere  and  friendly  discussions  some  system  may  be 
devised  of  practical  efficiency  to  answer  the  reasonable 
purposes  of  both  countries.  At  all  events,  it  is  the  duty 
of  both  to  make  some  arrangement,  because  some  ar- 
rangement or  perpetual  war  are  the  only  alternative. 
It  is  easy  on  either  side  to  dress  the  question  out  with 
popular  attractions,  but  any  indifferent  person  under- 
standing it  and  considering  it  calmly  must  be  sensible 
that  on  our  side  we  could  not  admit  your  pretensions 
to  their  full  extent  without  endangering  the  discipline, 
and  even  the  existence,  of  our  navy,  and,  on  the  other 
hand,  that  on  your  part  you  cannot  submit  to  the  existing 
system  as  practised  by  us.  There  is,  therefore,  a  neces- 
sity of  some  settlement.  If  you  submitted  at  present, 
the  growing  power  and  population  of  America  would 
force  a  settlement  on  the  two  countries  at  no  distant 
period  perhaps  after  ruinous  wars.  Being  frequently 
accused  here  of  undue  partiality  towards  America,  I 
trust  at  least  that  I  shall  have  credit  with  you  for  a 
sincere  wish  to  see  an  end  put  to  so  permanent  and  certain 
a  source  of  strife;  but  I  must  freely  confess  that,  highly 
as  I  value  a  state  of  peace  and  harmony  with  America, 
I  am  so  sensible  of  the  danger  to  our  naval  power  from 
anything  like  an  unrestricted  admission  of  your  principles, 
that  I  should  almost  incline  to  think  it  safer  to  consider 

285 


APPENDIX  I 

an  American  as  an  inevitable  concomitant  of  a  French 
war,  and  to  provide  for  it  accordingly.  It  is  useless  to 
discuss  the  abstract  question  of  right  when  it  becomes 
one  of  necessity,  and  with  us  I  sincerely  believe  it  to  be  so. 

If  therefore  the  disposition  of  your  Government  be  to 
adhere  pertinaciously  to  the  determination  to  give  us  no 
better  security  than  the  Act  of  Congress  lately  passed,  I 
should  think  your  coming  here  or  negotiating  anywhere 
useless  for  any  good  purpose.  I  know  it  must  be  so,  because 
I  know  that  any  Government  of  this  country  would  be 
restrained  from  such  an  unlimited  concession  by  its 
known  and  certain  danger,  by  the  state  of  public  opinion, 
and  that  the  best  friends  to  the  restoration  of  peace 
would  not  be  bold  enough  to  recommend  it.  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  if  you  are  desirous  of  endeavouring,  by  mutual 
explanation  and  concession,  to  consult  the  security  and 
just  apprehension  of  both  countries,  I  know  that  I  can 
assure  you  that  you  will  find  a  corresponding  disposition 
here;  and  although  I  would  not  speak  lightly  of  the 
difficulties  to  be  overcome,  I  am  inclined  by  a  long  con- 
sideration of  the  subject  to  anticipate  every  reasonable 
degree  of  success  from  the  joint  efforts  of  yourselves 
and  those  persons  whom  our  Government  will  be  prepared 
to  appoint  to  meet  you. 

I  have  thus,  my  dear  sir,  ventured  to  suggest  to  you 
what  occurs  to  me  on  the  interesting  subject  of  your 
mission.  I  should  not  have  risked  opinions  without 
feeling  certain  that  I  was  not  misleading  you  if  you  think 
proper  to  trust  to  them.  I  hope  they  will  encourage 
you  not  to  return  to  America  without  at  least  making  an 
experiment  in  the  manner  most  likely  to  lead  to  success. 

I  am  assured  by  my  Lord  Castlereagh  that  the  requisite 
order  shall  be  sent  for  permitting  your  cartel-ship,  the 
Neptune,  to  carry  the  gentlemen  composing  your  mission 
wherever  they  may  think  proper;  and  I  trust  that  I 
shall  be  ere  long  gratified  by  seeing  her  bring  with  you 
the  hope  of  peace  to  our  shores. 

286 


APPENDIX  I 

If  I  can  personally  be  of  any  service,  I  trust  you  will 
freely  command  me,  and  that  I  may  be  permitted  to 
present  my  compliments  to  Mr.  Bayard  and  Mr.  Adams 
with  whom  I  believe  I  have  the  advantage  of  a  very 
slight  acquaintance,  which  I  should  have  the  greatest 
satisfaction  in  being  afforded  an  opportunity  of  improving. 

I  am,  with  great  consideration  and  personal  regard, 
dear  sir,  your  very  obedient  servant, 

ALEXANDER  BARING 

ALBERT  GALLATIN  to  ALEXANDER  BARING 

ST.  PETERSBURG,  August  27,  1813 
DEAR  SIR, 

The  letter  (of  July  22)  with  which  you  have 
favoured  me  was  received  on  the  17th  inst.  For  this  I 
return  you  my  sincere  thanks,  and  duly  appreciate  the 
importance  of  the  information  you  have  obtained,  and  the 
motives  which  have  actuated  you.  Although  I  cannot  write 
as  freely  as  a  person  whose  communications  do  not  com- 
mit his  own  Government,  the  hope  that  our  correspond- 
ence may  be  of  some  public  utility  induces  me  to  enter 
as  far  in  the  subject  as  is  consistent  with  my  situation. 
We  have  not  received,  as  you  suggested,  the  information 
that  the  mediation  of  Russia  had  been  refused  by  Great 
Britain,  with  expressions  of  a  desire  to  treat  with  us 
separately  and  directly  at  London  or  at  Gottenburg. 
It  is  possible  that  Lord  Walpole,  who  is  said  here  to  have 
gone  to  the  Emperor's  headquarters,  may  be  the  bearer 
of  that  communication.  We  have  in  the  meanwhile 
been  notified  that  the  Emperor  had,  on  the  arrival  of  our 
mission,  given  orders  that  his  offer  of  mediation  should 
be  renewed;  and  we  will  wait  here  the  result.  But  if 
your  Government  should,  after  due  consideration,  persist 
in  its  absolute  refusal  of  that  offer,  a  negotiation  with  us 
cannot  be  opened,  since  our  powers  in  that  respect  are 
to  treat  of  peace  with  Great  Britain  expressly  under  the 
mediation  of  Russia.  We  have  a  distinct  commission 

287 


APPENDIX  I 

to  treat  afterwards  of  commerce,  if  agreeable  to  your 
Government,  and  without  reference  to  any  mediation. 
This  was  alluded  to  by  the  President  of  the  United  States 
in  his  last  message,  and  is  now  mentioned  as  an  evidence 
of  his  sincere  desire  not  only  to  make  peace,  but  to  estab- 
lish the  relations  between  the  two  countries  on  the  most 
friendly  footing. 

It  does  not  belong  to  me  to  discuss  the  objections 
which  your  Government  may  have  to  treat  of  peace  under 
the  mediation  of  Russia;  but  we  were  altogether  unaware, 
when  we  left  America,  that  any  such  could  exist.  Russia 
had  an  interest  in  the  restoration  of  peace  between  the 
two  countries,  since  the  war  interrupted  her  commercial 
relations  with  America,  and  diverted  a  certain  portion  of 
the  British  force  from  the  important  object  of  European 
warfare.  In  the  terms  on  which  peace  should  be  made, 
in  the  essential  point  at  issue — a  point,  which,  as  you  sug- 
gest, could  not  in  practice  arise  with  respect  to  her — she 
had  no  immediate  interest.  In  those  respects  she  united 
therefore  the  essential  requisites  in  a  mediating  Power, 
a  sincere  wish  that  peace  might  be  made,  and  impartiality 
as  to  the  subject  of  the  dispute.  On  the  other  hand, 
with  Russia  we  had  only  friendly  and  commercial  relations, 
but  no  political  connexion.  You  had  also  with  her  rela- 
tions of  the  same  nature  with  ours  and  on  a  much  more 
extensive  scale.  And  you  had  at  the  same  time  an 
intimate  political  connexion,  necessarily  arising  from 
your  being  united  in  a  most  important  conflict  against 
a  formidable  common  enemy.  You  are  her  ally  in  a  war 
which  to  her  is  an  object  of  so  much  superior  importance 
to  the  interest  she  has  in  the  restoration  of  peace  between 
you  and  us — that  America  might  have  hesitated  to  accept 
her  mediation  had  it  not  been  for  the  great  confidence 
we  place  in  the  personal  character  of  the  Emperor. 
This  we  considered  a  sufficient  pledg^pf  impartiality; 
and,  certain  that  your  Government  m  least  in  that 
respect  entertained  sentiments  similar  lb  ours,  we  did 

288 


APPENDIX  I 

not  presuppose  that  if  the  mediation  was  accepted  by 
us  there  could  be  any  hesitation  on  the  subject  on  the 
part  of  Great  Britain,  unless  she  considered  .peace  as, 
at  all  events  at  this  moment,  either  impracticable  or  un- 
desirable. We  did  also  believe  that  our  accepting  as  a 
mediator  a  Sovereign  at  war  with  France  was  such  a 
clear  evidence  of  our  neither  having  nor  wishing  to  have 
any  political  connexion  with  this  last  Power,  that  it 
must  remove  those  suspicions  on  the  part  of  your  Govern- 
ment to  which  you  allude,  and  which,  although  altogether 
erroneous  and  destitute  of  foundation,  might  probably 
continue  to  have  an  unfavourable  effect  on  its  disposi- 
tions and  termination. 

Such  was  the  view  of  the  subject  under  which  our 
Government  acted  in  the  appointment  of  the  extraordi- 
nary mission;  and  you  must  at  once  perceive  that  if 
a  rejection  of  the  mediation  on  the  part  of  Great  Britain 
had  been  anticipated,  the  result  would  have  been,  not  a 
direct  mission  to  that  country  for  which  there  was  no 
preliminary  foundation,  but  merely  a  declaration  that 
the  United  States  accepted  the  mediation,  and  would  be 
ready  to  act  upon  it  whenever  it  was  accepted  by  Great 
Britain. 

It  will  be  a  matter  of  regret  if  this  frank  proceeding  on 
the  part  of  America,  this  effort  to  re-establish  peace  in  an 
honourable  manner  and  without  suing  for  it,  should,  on 
the  threshold,  be  defeated  by  the  absolute  refusal  of  your 
Government  of  the  offered  mediation.  Without  at  all 
entering  in  a  discussion  of  the  objections  they  have  to  that 
measure,  still,  so  far  as  those  objections  are  exhibited 
in  your  letter  they  do  not  appear  to  me  to  go  beyond  a 
belief  that  a  direct  negotiation  would  afford  a  better 
prospect  of  success  than  one  conducted  under  the  media- 
tion of  any  third  Power.  This  may  be  true;  but  as  it 
does  not,  however,  seem  necessarily  to  imply  that  the 
attempt  to  negotiate  under  a  mediation  may  not  under 
certain  circumstances  be  made,  or  that  a  mediation,  where 


APPENDIX  I 

America  is  concerned,  is  at  all  events  and  in  itself  in- 
admissible, I  still  indulge  the  hope  that  your  Government, 
finding  that  a  rejection  of  the  mediation  is,  so  far  as  this 
mission  is  concerned,  a  refusal  to  negotiate,  and  placing 
that  confidence  in  the  sincerity  of  our  dispositions  and 
views  to  which  we  feel  ourselves  entitled,  will,  on  a  due  con- 
sideration of  the  subject,  find  it  practicable  to  reconcile 
an  acceptance  of  the  mediation  with  their  views  and 
principles. 

With  respect  to  the  main  question,  the  probability  of 
an  arrangement,  you  are  sensible  that  I  cannot  at  this 
time  and  on  this  occasion  enter  into  details.  That  I 
would  not  have  given  up  my  political  existence  and 
separated  myself  from  my  family  unless  I  had  believed 
an  arrangement  practicable  and  that  I  might  be  of  some 
utility  in  effecting  it,  you  are  sufficiently  aware.  The 
law  to  which  you  allude  is  a  municipal  regulation,  which 
may,  however,  be  considered  as  a  primary  evidence  of 
the  general  disposition  of  the  American  Government 
to  advance  towards  a  compromise.  On  that  subject  I 
could  not  be  more  explicit  without  in  fact  entering  into 
the  negotiation  itself.  I  will  only  state  that,  however 
("desirable  it  might  be  to  define  with  precision  and  in  a 
permanent  manner  the  respective  rights  of  the  two 
countries  on  the  subject  of  impressment,  I  do  not  hope 
that  this  can  be  effected  at  this  time,  that  either  nation 
can  be  induced  to  abandon  its  rights  or  pretensions  in 
that  respect.  All  that,  in  my  opinion,  can  be  done  is  an 
arrangement,  by  way  of  experiment,  which,  reserving 
to  both  nations  their  respective  abstract  rights  real  or 
assumed,  shall  be  founded  on  mutual  engagements  in 
such  manner  that  the  failure  of  either  nation  to  fulfil  her 
engagement  shall  absolve  the  other  nation  from  her  own 
and  leave  her  in  as  full  exercise  of  her  rights  and  pre- 
tensions as  if  the  arrangement  had  not  been  made. 

I  have  thus  freely  communicated  as  far  as  our  relative 
situation  seemed  to  permit,  being  well  assured  that  what  I 

290 


APPENDIX  I 

have  said  will  be  used  for  its  intended  purpose  of  assisting 
in  promoting  the  restoration  of  peace.  I  know  how  dear 
this  object  is  to  you,  and  that  we  both  have  an  equal 
desire  that  not  only  peace  but  the  most  friendly  relations 
and  understanding  should  subsist  between  the  two 
countries.  I  can  assure  you  that  such  also  is  the  sincere 
and  earnest  desire  of  my  Government,  and  that  nothing 
which  can  be  done  in  that  respect  will  be  omitted  on  my 
part  or  on  that  of  my  colleagues.  Whatever  the  result 
may  be,  I  will  preserve  a  just  sense  of  your  friendly 
conduct  on  this  occasion,  and  remain  with  great  considera- 
tion and  sincere  regard,  dear  sir,  your  very  obedient 
servant, 

ALBERT  GALLATIN 

ALEXANDER  BARING  to  ALBERT  GALLATIN 

LONDON,  October  12,  1813 
DEAR  SIR, 

The  letter  you  favoured  me  with  of  August  27, 
reached  me  in  course  of  post,  and  if  I  have  delayed  my 
reply  it  has  not  been,  I  can  assure  you,  from  any  neglect 
of  the  important  subject  of  its  contents.  I  have  been 
endeavouring  to  be  useful  in  an  object  which  I  have  very 
much  at  heart.  At  this  season  of  the  year  those  with 
whom  I  wished  to  confer  are  generally  out  of  town,  and 
correspondence  becomes  necessary.  In  communicating  to 
you  the  result  of  my  endeavours  I  am  sorry  to  say  that 
they  have  been  less  successful  than  I  could  hope  or  than 
I  had  at  one  time  expected;  at  the  same  time,  however, 
I  feel  the  more  convinced  that  the  existing  difficulties 
are  more  difficulties  of  form  than  of  substance,  and  I  very 
much  misunderstand  the  disposition  on  both  sides  if  an 
agreement  were  not  the  result  of  negotiation,  if  that 
negotiation  could  but  be  once  set  on  foot.  In  what  I 
communicate  I  beg  leave  again  to  assure  you  that  you 
may  rely  upon  my  not  misleading  you,  and,  without 
troubling  you  much  with  the  arguments  that  are  used, 


APPENDIX  I 

I  shall  confine  myself  principally  to  the  results,  and  that 
the  rather  as  little  time  is  left  me  before  the  departure 
of  the  post,  and  I  wish  that  no  time  may  be  lost.  We  are 
here  resolved  to  abide  by  the  principle  of  direct  negotiation. 
I  had  hoped  that  an  agreement  might  have  been  so  far 
advanced  and  ascertained  that  the  mediation  would 
have  been  a  mere  matter  of  form,  and  in  that  case  it 
might  have  been  adopted  for  the  purpose  of  keeping 
your  powers  alive,  and  although  I  could  of  course  attain 
to  nothing  like  certainty  as  to  this  probability  of  agree- 
ment, I  am  still  inclined  to  infer  it  from  the  general  ex- 
pression of  your  letter  and  from  what  I  have  collected 
here.  But  it  has  been  resolved  here  not  to  depart  from  the 
first  resolution  of  entering  only  into  a  direct  negotiation, 
and  it  is  thought  that,  upon  the  whole,  time  will  at  last 
be  saved  by  this  mode,  even  though  it  should  oblige 
you  to  have  recourse  to  America  for  an  alteration  of 
your  powers.  The  arguments  used  by  you  in  favour 
of  a  Russian  mediation  are  very  ingenious,  and  no  in- 
ference of  insincerity  is  drawn  from  America's  adopting 
this  mode,  but  there  are  circumstances  connected  with 
the  nature  of  the  question  which  makes  it  ineligible, 
when  in  any  common  political  dissension  it  might  be  the 
most  rational  and  satisfactory  course  to  pursue.  But 
whatever  may  be  the  weight  of  argument  on  either  side, 
you  may  be  assured  that  the  determination  is  here  irrev- 
ocable, and  before  this  reaches  you  it  must  have  been 
communicated  to  you  in  some  authentic  shape.  As  at 
the  same  time  a  readiness  for  direct  negotiations  will  be 
declared,  this  must  save  entirely  any  feelings  of  pride 
that  America  may  entertain,  as  the  advance  for  direct 
negotiation  comes  from  hence  in  return  for  a  step  on  her 
part  of  much  less  concession.  What  you  will  think  proper 
to  do  in  this  case — whether  to  wait  for  new  powers,  to 
return  yourselves,  or  to  come  here  in  the  expectation  of 
those  powers  being  sent — will  remain  with  you  to  deter- 
mine; perhaps,  indeed,  you  have  determined  before  this 

292 


APPENDIX  I 

reaches  you,  as  the  Baltic  will  probably  be  closed  for 
navigation  by  the  end  of  this  month.  The  omission  of 
Mr.  Adams'  name  in  the  passport  was  quite  accidental, 
and  must  have  been  my  fault.  I  have  no  recollection  of 
the  circumstance,  but  I  probably  concluded  at  the  time 
that  as  he  was  the  resident  Minister  at  St.  Petersburg 
he  would  not  return.  I  trust,  however,  that  he  will  not 
have  hesitated  to  accompany  you  on  account  of  this 
omission,  which  he  may  be  assured  will  be  of  no  conse- 
quence, and  that  the  vessel,  with  any  person  belonging 
to  the  mission,  will  be  suffered  freely  to  pass  our  fleets. 

On  the  subject  of  the  probability  of  an  agreement 
between  the  two  Governments  I  am  sensible  that  you 
must  necessarily  write  with  reserve;  but  as  I  am  under 
no  such  restraint,  I  will  state  to  you  fairly  what  you 
may  expect  here,  and  I  do  it  because  this  may  influence 
your  determination  on  other  points,  and  because  I 
always  think  that  between  States,  as  between  individuals, 
where  the  intentions  are  honest,  plain  language  is  always 
preferable  to  artifice.  We  wish  for  peace.  The  pressure 
of  the  war  upon  our  commerce  and  manufactures  is 
over;  they  have  ample  relief  in  other  quarters;  and, 
indeed,  the  dependence  of  the  two  countries  on  each 
other  was,  as  it  usually  is,  overrated.  But  the  war 
has  no  object;  it  is  expensive;  and  we  want  to  carry 
our  efforts  elsewhere.  Our  desire  of  peace,  therefore, 
cannot  be  doubted,  and  you  may  quite  rely  upon  it. 
With  respect  to  the  only  question  really  at  issue,  we  are 
disposed  to  concert  with  you  the  most  efficient  means  of 
confining  the  seamen  of  each  country  to  their  respective 
services;  but  we  do  not  believe  in  the  practicability  of 
so  doing  without  a  reservation  of  a  right  of  search  for  them, 
or  rather  without  a  continuation  of  the  practice,  for  we 
do  not  want  from  you  a  recognition  of  right.  This 
practice  we  are  ready  to  regulate  in  any  manner  con- 
sistent with  its  object,  and  I  feel  an  entire  conviction 
that  it  may  be  regulated  in  a  manner  to  do  away 

293 


APPENDIX  I 

almost  everything  that  is  objectionable  in  it.  On  this 
point  you  will  find  us  reasonable  and  liberal,  but  very 
firm  upon  the  question  of  not  giving  up  the  practice  of 
examination  and  search,  and  indeed  with  every  desire 
not  only  to  see  peace  restored,  but  to  see  satisfaction 
given  to  America  on  this  point — which  I  always 
thought  she  had  a  right  to — I  cannot  see  how  we  can 
under  our  present  system  of  manning  our  navy  do  more. 
All  the  Acts  of  Congress  or  Acts  of  Parliament  that  can 
be  framed  would  be  ineffectual  without  this,  and  I  am 
sure  that  when  you  come  to  the  details  you  would  be  of 
the  same  opinion;  and  it  is  for  this  reason  that  I  infer 
from  the  cautious  wording  of  your  letter  that  you  would 
not  be  disinclined  to  an  arrangement  upon  this  principle, 
where  every  precaution  would  be  taken,  and  taken,  I 
think,  effectually,  to  remove  everything  that  is  vexatious 
in  the  present  practice,  and  to  subject  it  to  the  responsi- 
bility towards  both  Governments,  under  which  alone  it 
can  be  made  consistent  with  a  state  of  peace.  I  shall  not 
trouble  you  with  any  detailed  examination  of  this  point; 
the  general  principles  of  our  Government  you  would  find 
as  I  have  stated,  and  if  they  are  not  repugnant  to  your 
instructions  I  think  you  would  soon  complete  the  work 
of  peace  without  the  help  or  hindrance  of  any  mediator. 
I  have  not  yet  had  a  good  opportunity  for  America 
to  send  your  letters  for  Mrs.  Gallatin;  they  are  now  here, 
but  a  cartel  is  expected  to  sail  in  a  few  days,  and  they 
shall  be  taken  care  of.  We  have  not  hitherto  received 
any  for  you.  I  beg  you  will  believe  me  at  all  times 
happy  to  be  useful,  and  with  great  esteem  and  regard, 
dear  sir,  your  sincerely  devoted  servant, 

ALEXANDER  BARING 


294 


APPENDIX  II 

LETTER  FROM  VOLTAIRE  TO  THE  COMTE  D'ARGENTAL 

9  Ffarier,  1761. 

Voici  la  plus  belle  occasion,  mon  cher  ange,  d'exercer 
votre  ministere  celeste.  II  s'agit  du  meilleur  office  que 
je  puisse  recevoir  de  vos  bontes. 

Je  vous  conjure,  mon  cher  et  respectable  ami, 
d'employer  tout  votre  credit  aupres  de  Monsieur  le  Due 
de  Choiseul;  aupres  de  ses  amis,  s'il  le  faut  apres,  de  sa 
maitresse,  etc.  etc.  Et  pourquoi  ose-je  vous  demander 
tant  d'appui,  tant  de  zele,  tant  de  vivacite,  et  surtout  un 
prompt  succes  ?  Pour  le  bien  du  service,  mon  cher  ange : 
pour  battre  le  Due  de  Brunswick.  M.  Gallatin,  Officier 
aux  gardes  Suisses,  qui  vous  presentera  ma  tres-humble 
requete,  est  de  la  plus  ancienne  famille  de  Geneve.  Us 
se  font  tuer  pour  nous  de  pere  en  fils  depuis  Henri  Quatre. 

L'Oncle  de  celui-ci  a  ete  tue  devant  Ostende;  son 
frere  a  ete  a  la  malheureuse  et  abominable  journee  de 
Rosbach,  a  ce  que  je  crois;  journee  ou  les  regiments 
suisses  firent  seuls  leur  devoir.  Si  ce  n'est  pas  a  Rosbach, 
c'est  ailleurs;  le  fait  est  qu'il  a  ete  tue;  celui-ci  a  ete 
blesse.  II  sert  depuis  dix  ans;  il  a  e*te  aide-major;  il 
veut  Tetre.  II  faut  des  aides-major  qui  parlent  bien 
Tallemand,  qui  soient  actifs,  intelligents;  il  est  tout  cela. 
Enfin  vous  saurez  de  lui  precisement  ce  qu'il  lui  faut; 
c'est  en  general  la  permission  d'aller  vite  chercher  la  mort 
d  votre  service.  Faites-lui  cette  grace  et  qu'il  ne  soit 
point  tue,  car  il  est  fort  aimable  et  il  est  neveu  de  cette 
Madame  Calendrin  que  vous  avez  vue  etant  enfant. 
Madame  sa  mere  est  bien  aussi  aimable  que  Madame 
Calendrin. 

205 


APPENDIX  II 

ENGLISH  TRANSLATION 

February  9,  1761. 

Here,  my  dear  angel,  is  the  finest  occasion  for  using  your  heavenly 
ministration.  I  am  asking  for  the  greatest  service  I  could  receive  from 
your  kindness. 

My  dear  and  honourable  friend,  I  implore  you  to  use  all  your  credit 
with  the  Due  de  Choiseul,  with  his  friends,  and  if  that  fails,  with  his 
mistress,  etc.  Why  do  I  ask  for  so  much  support,  such  zeal,  such 
determination — above  all  for  a  speedy  and  successful  issue?  For  the 
good  of  the  service,  dear  angel — to  fight  the  Duke  of  Brunswick. 
M.  Gallatin,  officer  in  the  Swiss  Guards,  who  will  present  my  humble 
request  to  you,  belongs  to  the  oldest  family  in  Geneva.  They  have 
shed  their  blood  for  us  from  father  to  son  since  the  time  of  Henri 
Quatre. 

The  uncle  of  this  Gallatin  was  killed  before  Ostend;  his  brother 
was,  I  believe,  at  the  unhappy  and  accursed  day  of  Rosbach,  the  day 
when  the  Swiss  regiments  alone  did  their  duty.  If  it  was  not  Rosbach 
it  was  somewhere  else.  The  fact  remains  that  he  was  killed — this  one 
was  wounded.  He  has  served  for  ten  years,  has  been  staff-major 
— which  is  the  post  he  wants.  We  need  staff-majors  who  speak 
German  and  who  are  active  and  intelligent;  he  is  all  of  that.  But 
you  will  learn  from  him  the  exact  nature  of  his  wants:  generally 
speaking,  it  is  leave  to  seek  a  speedy  death  in  your  service.  Do  him 
this  kindness  and  sea  that  he  be  not  killed,  for  he  is  very  amiable  and 
a  nephew  of  the  Madame  Calendrin  whom  you  saw  in  your  childhood. 
His  mother  too  is  as  amiable  as  Madame  Calendrin. 


296 


APPENDIX  III 

TRANSLATION  OF  DECISION  OF  THE  5ra  AUGUST  1810 

Whereas  the  above  report  made  in  the  Council  of  Com- 
merce and  Manufacture,  with  the  following  results: 

(1)  That  the  Government  of  the  United  States  is  not 
bound  by  her  act  of  the  1st  March  1809— by  the  order 
dated  20th   May  following  that  the  French  Ships  and 
Merchandise  therein  contained,  which  enter  their  ports 
should  be  put  under  sequestration,  but  that  the  con- 
fiscation of  the  aforesaid  ships  and  merchandise  has  been 
ordered. 

(2)  That  it  has  been  established  by  the  same  Act  that 
when  the  relations  with  France  have  been  re-established 
the  confiscations  will  continue  to  have  their  effect. 

(3)  That  the  Act  of  the  1st  March  1809  has  been  put 
into  execution  on  every  occasion  that  has  presented  it- 
self, not  only  against  the  Cargoes  but  against  the  French 
ships  as  well.     We  have  ordered,  and  order  what  follows: 

(1)  That  the  funds  arising  from  the  sales  of  the  Amer- 
ican Cargoes  which  have  been  sold  up  to  this  date,  and 
the  total  which  has  been  placed  on  deposit  in  the  Caisse 
of  Amortisment,  shall  be  transferred  to  the  public  treas- 
ury. 

(2)  That  the  American  Cargoes  that  have  been  placed 
under  sequestration  shall  be  sold  and  the  funds  arising 
from  the  same  shall  be  paid  into  the  Public  Treasury. 

(3)  That  the  American  ships  which  up  to  this  date,  no 
decision  has  been  come  to,  shall  be  sold  and  the  funds 
they  realize  shall  be  paid  into  the  Public  Treasury. 

(4)  Taking  into  consideration  that  the  Act  of  the  1st 
March  1809  made  by  the  United  States  does  not  contain 

297 


APPENDIX  III 

any  order  as  to  the  disposition  of  the  Crews  of  our  ships, 
and  always  wishing  to  treat  the  United  States  as  fairly 
as  possible  and  using  only  with  regret  our  rights  of  re- 
prisal against  them.  We  agree  that  the  Crews  of  Amer- 
ican ships  entering  our  ports  shall  not  be  considered  as 
prisoners,  but  shall  be  sent  back  to  their  own  country. 

(5)  The  dispositions  above  stated  shall  be  carried  out 
with  regard  to  all  the  American  ships  which  have  entered 
our  ports  and   been  sequestered   since  the  20th   March 
1808— to  the  1st  of  May  of  the  present  year  1810— the 
date  of  the  Act  by  which  the  United  States  has  revoked 
the  Act  of  the  1st  March  1809. 

(6)  In  the  future  and  up  to  the  1st  of  November  the 
date  fixed  by  the  letter  of  our  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs 
to  the  plenipotentiary's  of  the   United  States  for  the 
revocation  of  our  decrees  of  Berlin  and  Milan  (in  the 
case   that   our   conditions   established   in   the   aforesaid 
letters  are  fulfilled)  the  American  ships  can  enter  our 
ports;  but  the  unloading  cannot  take  place  without  a 
license  signed  by  our  hand,  and  on  a  report  made  in  the 
Council  of  Commerce  stating  that  they  have  not  been 
denationalized  by  their  submission  to  the  order  of  the 
Council  of  Great  Britain  and  that  they  have  not  con- 
travened decrees  of  Berlin  and  Milan. 

Given  at  our  Palace  of  the  Trianon  the  5th  August 
1810. 

Signed  NAPOLEON 


298 


INDEX 


ACT  of  Congress  of  March  1809, 

188,  297 

Adams,  John,  second  President  of 
United  States,  4  note 
John    Quincy,     minister    to 
Russia,     appointed    peace 
commissioner,  ix,  xi,  1,  4, 
11-12,    16,    20-23,    27-36, 
279,  287,  293;  and  Albert 
Gallatin,  181, 184,  236,  267; 
letters    from    Albert    Gal- 
latin, 187-90,  258-61;  and 
the  seizure  of  the  Apollon, 
192-93 ;  letter  to  James  Gal- 
latin,  225,  254-55. 
William,  28 
Addington,  Mr.,  260 
Aix-en-Savoie,  148,  185,  190-91 
Aix-la-Chapelle  Congress,  142 
Alcantara,  H6tel  d',  in  Ghent,  27 
Alexander,  Emperor,  offer  of  me- 
diation, vii,  1,  6,  18,  19,  21-23, 
26, 235, 259, 279;  and  Napoleon, 
5,  53;  Moreau's  appreciation  of, 
8,  9;  a  forgotten  note,  13;  guest 
of  England,  21,  23,  24;  Lafay- 
ette's   interview    with,    21-23; 
and  Mme.  de  Stael,  23,  25;  re- 
ception of  Albert  Gallatin,  24- 
25;  opinion  of  Albert  Gallatin, 
35;  presents  to  Albert  Gallatin, 
253;    and    the    North-Eastern 
boundary  question,  261 
Alfieri,  Marquis,  106,  118,  200 

Marquise,  118,  200 
Alfred,  footman,  87 

tailor,  213,  222-25,  233 
Allaman,  Chateau  d',  48-49,  191, 

214 

Allies,  the,  decision  to  crush  Na- 
poleon, 74-76;  destruction  in 
Paris  by  the,  102 


Alps,  the  Simplon  Pass,  55 
America,  Mme.  de  StaeTs  prop- 
erty in,  37,  38-39,  42-43;  return 
of  the  Gallatins  to,  235-38,  240- 
43 
American  War  of  Independence, 

42 

Americans  in  Paris,  Albert  Gal- 
latin and,  201,  210;  in  London, 
263,  264,  265 
Amiens,  134 

Amnesty,  the  Indian,  32 
Amsterdam,  13,  15 
Andelys,  Les,  68 
Anglais,  Caf6,  207 
AngouleTne,   Due  d',  and  Albert 
Gallatin,  86,  124,  221,  241;  and 
the  death  of  the  Due  de  Berri, 
157;    and    Richelieu,    203-04; 
letter  to  Albert  Gallatin,  243; 
wedding  presents  to  James  Gal- 
latin, 250 

Duchesse  d',  and  James  Galla- 
tin, 64;  and  Mme.  Gallatin, 
90,  235-36;  jewels  of,  116, 
177;  and  the  Due  d'Orle'ans, 
140;  death  of  the  Due  de 
Berri,  157-58;  personality, 
168,  221;  and  Frances  Gal- 
latin, 193-94;  at  St.  Cloud, 
210-11;  last  reception  of 
Mme.  and  Frances  Gallatin, 
235-36,  238,  241;  love  for 
her  brother,  237;  the  packet 
given  to  Albert  Gallatin, 
241-42;  wedding  present  to 
James  Gallatin,  250 
Annapolis,  277 
Apollon,  the,  seizure,  192 
Arc,  Joan  of,  69 

Archbishop    of    Paris,   intriguing 
for  the  post  of,  200 


299 


INDEX 


Argental,   Count  d',  letter  from 

Voltaire,  295-96 
Ashburton,    Lord.     See    Baring, 

Alexander 
Astor,    John   Jacob,   and   Albert 

Gallatin,  vi  and  note,  vii,  80, 174, 

201,   229;   manners,    167;    and 

Mme.  Bonaparte,  179 
Aumont,  Due  d',  241 
Austria,    question   of   succession, 

261 

BACHALAN'S  Hotel,  Copenhagen,  3 

Bache,  Richard,  letter  from  Ben- 
jamin Franklin  to,  ii 

Balmat,  Jacques,  215 

Baltimore,  61-62,  211,  221,  237, 
240,  244-46,  252,  255 

Archbishop  of,  and  M.  Pas- 
cault,  249 

Bank  of  the  United  States,  presi- 
dency refused  by  Albert  Galla- 
tin, 197,  201 

Baring,  Alexander,  letters  from 
Albert  Gallatin,  vii,  3,  279-80, 
287-91;  negotiations  with,  12, 
14;  friendship  with  the  Galla- 
tins,  72,  77,  172,  174,  203,  210, 
222,  262-64,  268,  276;  offer  to 
James  Gallatin,  224;  letter  to 
Albert  Gallatin;  280-87,  291-94 

Baring,  Mrs.  Alexander,  72,  203, 
210,  272 

Barry,  Colonel,  letter  to  the  Mar- 
quis of  Huntly,  52-56 

Bassano,  Due  de,  166,  172,  187-88 

Bates,  Miss,  256,  272 

Bathurst,  Lord,  15,  20,  30-32,  59 

Bayard,  Mr.,  vi,  1,  2, 12, 13, 15, 16, 
22,  28-30,  33,  69,  75,  279,  287 

Belgarde,  62 

Bentham,  Jeremy,  14  and  note, 
175-76 

Bentinck,  Mile,  112 

Berlin  Decree,  the,  187,  188,  298 

"Berline,"  use  of  a,  87 

Bernadotte,  Jean,  122  and  note,  223 
Mme.    See  Sweden,  Queen  of 

Berne,  217 


Berri,  Due  de,  in  London,  56;  and 
Albert  Gallatin,  86  and  note,  93, 
130;  and  the  Duke  of  Welling- 
ton, 104-5;  and  the  Orleans 
family,  106;  a  story  of,  107-8; 
and  James  Gallatin,  135,  136, 
140;  the  Duchesse  and,  144; 
innovations  at  Court,  149;  at 
the  ElysSe,  154;  death  of,  156- 
61;  effect  of  his  death  on  jeu- 
nesse  doree,  182 

Duchesse  de,  and  the  Orleans 
family,  106, 140;  hospitality 
of,  124,  144;  death  of  the 
Duke,    156-61;   accusation 
against  Decazes,  161 ;  at  the 
Tuileries,  162;  birth  of  the 
Due  de  Bordeaux,  165-67, 
177;    and    the    bomb   ex- 
plosions, 180;  and  the  Gal- 
latins,  220-21,  236 
Berthal,  Mme.,  housekeeper,  96, 
139-40,  148,  150,  151,  168, 175- 
76,  180 

Berthe,  la  Reine,  50 
Berthollet,  44,  45 
Bertrand,  Gen.,  in  Elba,  53 
Bethisy,  Mme.  de,  157  and  note, 

235 
Bingham,  Miss,  of  Philadelphia. 

See  Baring,  Mrs.  Alexander. 
Biron  family,  the,  63 
Blanc,  Mont,  ascent,  215 
Blockade  in  time  of  war,  question 

of,  70 

Boar  hunts,  113-14,  151-52,  200 
"Bocage,"  house  at  Pregny,  138 
Boigne,  Comtesse  de,  58,  92  and 
note,  98,  104,  106,  139,  150,  169, 
192,    208,    220,   228,   233,  239 

General  de,  92  note 
Bois  de  Boulogne,  136;  skating  on 
the  Petit  Lac,  101, 119, 195, 198- 
99,  202,  226-27,  232 
Bonaparte,  Jerome,  51,  61-63, 202, 
252 

Joseph,  ex-King  of  Spain,  49 
and  note,  50,  122,  190;  Al- 
bert Gallatin  and,  67 


300 


INDEX 


Bonaparte — cont. 

Louis,  49  note,  234 
Madame  Mere,  179,  236,  255 
Mme.  Patterson,  stories  of, 
51-52,  61-62;  present  to 
Jamea  Gallatin,  58;  and 
Mme.  de  Stael,  58,  138; 
in  Paris,  88-91,  163,  194; 
her  son  "Bo,"  90,  165,  179; 
return  from  America,  101; 
letter  to  Albert  Gallatin, 
144;  popularity,  165;  praise 
of  Napoleon,  187;  friend- 
ship with  the  Gallatins,  195, 
200-2,  236,  240,  247,  263 
note  ;  hatred  of  the  Catons, 
197,222 ;  hatred  of  the  Bona- 
partes,  236-37;  admiration 
of  Mile  Pascault,  237,  245 
Napoleon,  and  Alexander,  5; 
mentioned  by  Gen.  Moreau, 
7;  America  and,  16-17; 
and  Mme.  de  Stael,  52-53; 
at  Elba,  account  by  Mr. 
Douglas,  52-56;  and  the 
Pope,  63;  escape  from  Elba, 
64;  march  on  Paris,  65-66; 
interview  with  Albert  Gal- 
latin, 67-68;  decision  of  the 
Allies,  74-75;  ceremony  in 
the  Champs  de  Mars,  75; 
Waterloo,  76;  Albert  Gal- 
latin's  opinion  of,  78-79, 
179;  at  St.  Helena,  111; 
the  Manuscript  of  St.  Hel- 
ena, 121 ;  dukes  created  by, 
172;  death,  186;  the  Tria- 
non decree  of  August  5, 
1810,  187-90,  297-98;  baby 
clothes  of,  255 
Order  of,  6  note 
Pauline.  See  Borghese,  Prin- 
cess Pauline 

Bonapartism,  decay,  257,  259-60 
Bonapartists,  the,  186-87, 190, 234 
Bonneval,  de,  57  and  note 
Bonstetten,  M.  de,  48,  51,  56 
Bordeaux,  Due  de,  166  and  note, 
167,  257,  260 


Borghese,  Hotel,  90,  209-10,  220 
and  note 

Borghese,  Princess  Pauline,  90, 179 

Borgo,  Count  Pozzo  di,  94,  98, 
100,  106,  118,  120-21,  124,  141 
and  note,  144,  163-64,  169,  174, 
181,  197,  200,  220,  227,  229, 
242,  257,  265,  268;  a  sauterie  for 
Frances  Gallatin,  170-71;  on 
the  committee  of  Crockford's, 
203;  on  the  relations  between 
Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States,  258-59 

"Boston,"  Game  of,  230 
Harbour,  230 

"Bouche  du  Rhone,"  63 

Bouff6  family,  the,  247 

Boulogne,  128,  134 

Boundary  question,  settlement  of 
the,  126,  133,  256,  259,  261,  275 

Bourbon,  Due  de,  108,  141  and 
note,  237 

Bourbons,  Albert  Gallatin  and  the, 
50;  Napoleon  on  the,  53,  54; 
position  in  France,  78-79 

Bourg,  house  of  Jacques  Coeur  at, 
57  note,  105,  108-9,  218 
la  Reine,  60 

Bourget,  Lac  du,  191 

Braynton,  Captain,  of  the  /Spar- 
ton,  2 

Breteuil  Marquis  de,  a  chasse  au 
sanglier,  113-14 

"Brichka,"  use  of  a,  88 

Briennen,  Mile  von,  112 

Brighton,  the  Pavilion,  127-31, 
262,  268,  276;  Albert  Gallatin 
summoned  to,  268-69 

Brissac,  Comte  de  Cosse,  152, 157- 
59 

Comtesse  de  Cosse,  175,  231- 
32 

British  Embassy,  Paris.     See  Bor- 
ghese, H6tel 
Museum.  15 

Peace  Mission,  in  Ghent,  27- 
35 

Broglie,  Due  de,  51,  89,  93,  100, 
106,  135,  145,  152-53,  216,  242 


301 


INDEX 


Broglie — cont. 

Duchesse    de    (Albertine    de 
Stael),  93, 106, 109, 13&-36, 
145,  152-53,  191,  193,  207, 
216,  233-34,  242,  255 
Brompton,  15 
Brooks's  Club,  132 
Brougham,  Mr.,  274 
Broughton  Castle,  70-71 
Brown,  Mr.,  260 

Mrs.,  daughters  of,  160,  166 
Thomas,  name  taken  by  the 

Due  de  Berri,  166 
Bruges,  110 

Brummell,  Beau,  127-28 
Brunswick,  Duke  of,  95,  295,  296 
Brussels,    Napoleon's   march   on, 
75-76;  Albert  Gallatin  sent  to, 
109;  the  plains  of  Waterloo,  111 
Buckingham  House,  265,  271,  272 
Bude",  Eugene  de,  216 

Jules  de,  59,  152,  153,  216 
Mme.  de,  99 
M.  de,  47,  58,  59 
Burgundy  wine,  217 
Byron,  Lord,  56,  59,  167,  215 


CALENDRIN,  Mme.,  295-96 

Gallon,  major-domo,  87 

Cambridge,  Duchess  of,  132 
University  of,  28  note 

Campbell,  G.  W.,  16 

Canada,  protection  of,  28;  Napo- 
leon's interest  in,  68;  traffic 
with,  70 

Cannes,  Napoleon  at,  64 

Canning,  Mr.,  257,  258,  261,  262, 
266;  Prime  Minister,  268,  269- 
71;  sayings  of,  quoted,  269-70; 
death,  272-73;  as  Leader  of  the 
House,  274 

Cantillon,  arrest  of,  104-5 

Caraman,  George,  231 

Garden,  valet,  218 

Carlton  House,  72 

Carnival,  the,  in  Paris,  141,  143- 
44,  155-56,  177,  201,  235-39 

Caroline,  Queen,  203 


Caron,  Monsieur,  maltre  d'h6tel, 
205 

Carrolls,  the,  251-52 

Carrol-town,  251-52 

Cassel,  Palace  at,  225,  252 

Cassillis,  Lady,  267 
Lord,  267 

Castelcicala,  Prince,  106,  118 
Princess,  118 

"Castle  Solitude,"  251 

Castlereagh,  Lord,  the  negotia- 
tions, vii,  12-14,  20,  23,  26,  28- 
30,  34,  59,  286;  in  Vienna,  37; 
and  Albert  Gallatin,  68,  69,  74, 
126,  133;  suicide  of,  214 

Castries,  Mme.  de,  231-32 

Catholic  emancipation,  273-74 

Caton,  Mrs.,  daughter  of,  62  and 
note,  165,  194,  202 

Cavour,  Count,  58,  214,  215  note 
Countess,  58 

Cayla,  Mme.  du,  200  and  note,  202, 
211,  223,  229,  241 

C&estine,  Mile,  143-44 

Chabot,  Comtesse,  208 

Chambery,  93 

Chamoix,  215 

Chamounix,  214,  215 

Champeau,  M.  de,  231 

Champonet,  Marquis  de,  152 

Champs  de  Mars,  ceremony  in  the, 
75 

Elysees,  103,  104,  199 

Chapelle,  Mme.,  receptions,  115 

Charles  I  of  England,  126 

VII  and  Jacques  Coeur,  57 

note,  218 
XII  of  Sweden,  122  note 

Charlotte,  Princess,  256 
Queen,  132 

Chartres,  Due  de,  178  and  note, 
198 

Chasse  au  sanglier,  113-14, 151-52, 
200 

Chateaubriand,  M.  de,  94,  138, 
164,  204,  227,  242 

Chateauvieux,  Lullin  de,  121 

Chatellon  Conference,  23 

Chatsworth,  70,  71 


302 


INDEX 


Chelsea  Marshes,  132 

Chevet,  chef,  235 

Chillon,  Chateau  de,  50 

Chio,  57  note 

Choiseul,  Due  de,  295-96 

Christmas,  in  Paris,  93-94,  116- 

21,  149-53,  174,  193,  224-28;  in 

London,  264 
Clanricarde,  Lord,  220 
Clare,  Mile,  107-8 
Clary,  Mile  Eugenie  De'sire'e.    See 

Sweden,  Queen  of 

Mile  Julie,  50,  122 
Clay,  Henry,  the  negotiations,  16, 

21  and  note,  27,  28,  30-34,'  69, 

84,  181,  260,  267;  letters  from 

Albert  Gallatin  to,  269-71,  273- 

76 

Clermont,  146  note 
Clermont-Tonnerre,  Due  de,  51, 

58,  94,  99 

Duchesse  de,  51,  57  and  note, 

94,  99,  215 
Coeur,  Jacques,  57  and  note,  105, 

108-9,218 

Coigny,  Due  de,  151 
Columbia  River,  navigation,  133 
Commercial  treaty,   the  negotia- 
tions, 70,  73,  76,  77,  133,  142, 

256,  266-67,  276 
Compiegne,  hunting  at,  178,  179, 

238;  Corps  de  Chasse  from,  198 
Compton,  Mr.,  132 
Cond<§,  Prince  de,  92  and  note,  108, 

141,  161 
Condorcet,  Marquis,  60  and  note, 

184 
Marquise  (Mile  de  Grouchy), 

184 

Constant,  Benjamin,  47,  51 
Convention  of  1818  renewed  and 

signed,  261 
Conyngham,  Lady,  203,  262,  267, 

269,  272 

Copenhagen,  3-4 
Coppet,  37-40,  46,  50-51,  56-58, 

71,  89,  109,  145,  208,  216,  232 

"Corinne,"  dedication  to  "Cupi- 

don,"  58,  71 


Cornwallis,  Miss,  222 
Mr.,  217 

Courland,  coast  of,  4 

Duchesse    de,    106,    163-64, 
220,  222 

Coursergues,  M.  Claude  de,  160 

Crawford,  William  H.,  letters  from 
Albert  Gallatin  to,  15-19;  letter 
from  Lafayette,  21-23;  return 
in  the  Neptune,  75-76;  and  Al- 
bert Gallatin's  remuneration, 
84;  and  the  Presidency,  195, 
207,  225;  paralysis,  249,  251 

Crockford's,  203,  265,  268 

Cuckfield,  132 

''Curricle/'  the,  91 

DALLAS,  G.  H.,  2,  12 

Dames  de  la  halle,  the,  183 

Dashkoff,  Count,  vi,  1 

David,  M.,  portrait  of  James 
Gallatin,  64-67 

Decazes,  M.,  Ministry,  113  and 
note,  123,  137;  and  Albert  Gal- 
latin, 149;  accusation  of  the 
Duchesse  de  Berri,  158-61 ;  mis- 
sion to  London,  161;  removal, 
168 

Demidoff,  Prince,  58,  62 

Dessolles,  General,  123 

Devonshire,  Duke  of,  70,  71,  262, 
267 

House,  267,  272 

Diderot,  60 

Dijon,  63,  217 

Dinner  customs  in  Geneva,  47 

Diodatis,  the,  47,  215 

Diplomatic  Service,  for  America, 
221 

Disraeli,  "Vivian  Grey,"  267 

Dixon,  Mr.,  3 

Doenhoff,  Count,  48 

Douglas,  Mr.,  account  of  his  au- 
dience with  Bonaparte,  52-56 

Dover,  69,  128,  134,  147 
Castle,  134 

Dresden,  6 

Drouet,  General,  53 

Dublin,  the  Viceregal  Court,  263 


303 


INDEX 


Dudley,  Lord,  273 

Duer,  Lady  Cathrine,  267 

Dumont,  M.  Andre,  14  and  note 

Dundas,  Mr.,  52 

Duras,  Due  de,  51,  106 

Duchesse  de,  51,  90,  106,  122, 

137,  139,  235-36 
Dutch  women,  impressions,  27 

ECOLE  de  Droits  de  Paris,  182 

Edouard,  footman,  87 

Edwards,  Miss,  220,  222,  229-30, 
271 

Elba,  Napoleon  on,  account  of  an 
interview,  52-56;  escape  from, 
64 

Ellsworth,  Mr.,  11 

Elysee  Bourbon,  98 

the,  entertainments,  124,  142, 
144,  154 

Embassy,  laws  governing  the, 
268 

England,  peace  policy  of,  5,  6,  8-9, 
16-18,  25-28,  35;  Napoleon  on, 
54;  and  America,  position  in 
1816,  86;  foreign  policy  in  1822, 
217;  the  mission  to,  255-56 

Englishwomen,  impression  of,  15 

Enville,  D'.    See  Rochefoucauld 

Escalade,  the,  61 

Escar,  Due  d',  178 

Esterhazy,  Prince,  265 

Etiquette,  French,  115,  145,  195 

Eton  festivities,  23,  271 

"Etrennes  de  la  Noblesse,"  ex- 
tract from,  110 

Europe,  American  trade  with,  70 

Eustace,  Mr.,  at  The  Hague,  103, 
111,  113 

FAGEL,  Baron,  106,  109 

Fane,  Lady,  208 

Favier,  Mile,  233-34,  239 

Federalists,  the,  and  the  financial 

crises,  vi-vii 
Ferney,  a  visit  to,  59-61 
Few,  Mrs.,  211 
Finance,  American,  42 
Finland,  Gulf  of,  4 


Fisheries  question,  settlement  of 
the,  32-35,  126,  133 

FitzJames,  Due  de,  157 

Flahaut,  Countess  de,  234 

Florida,  sale  of,  142 

Fontainebleau,  63,  65,  114,  151, 
198,  200,  221,  230-32 

Footpads  in  London,  264 

Force,  Comte  Caumont  la,   106, 
114,  118,  202 
Comtesse   Caumont  la,   106, 

114,  118,  226 

Due  de  Caumont  la,  94,  202 
Mile  Caumont  la,  119 

Fouquet,  Marquis  de  Belle-Isle,  63 

Frangais,  the,  26,  68,  103,  147, 162 

France,  financial  condition  after 
Waterloo,  88-89;  internal 
trouble,  201 

Mme.  de,  52  note 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  letter  to 
Richard  Bache,  Postmaster- 
General,  United  States,  vi 

French  Embassy,  London,  263-64, 
271 

Friendship  Hill,  254 

Fulton,  Robert,  a  story  of,  146 
and  note,  147 

GALATI,  Count  Joseph,  12-13 

Galiani,  Abbe",  60 

Galitzin,    Mile   Katinka,   94,  98, 

101,  114, 118, 167, 170, 198,  202, 

230,   232,    234,   237.     See   also 

Force,  Comtesse  Caumont  la 

Prince,  94,  96,  99-101,  106, 

118 

Princess,  58,  94,  98,  101,  106, 
118,  156,  195 

Gallatin,  Albert,  in  America,  vi— 
vii;  mission  to  Russia,  vii,  1; 
mentioned  in  Voltaire's  letter, 
295-96;  recall,  10-12;  interview 
with  Napoleon,  67-68;  the 
French  mission,  81-84;  journey 
to  France,  85;  religion,  105; 
Brussels,  109;  at  The  Hague, 
110-12;  mission  to  England, 
125;  indisposition,  139-40;  re- 


304 


INDEX 


Gallatin,  Albert— cont. 

lations  with  Spain,  142;  dis- 
covery of  the  Trianon  decree, 
187-90;  Geneva  in  1821,  191; 
his  first  marriage,  219,  247;  the 
vice-presidency,  249,  251;  con- 
ditions of  English  mission,  255- 
56;  and  George  IV,  268-69 
Letters  from  : 

Ashburton,  Lord,  276-78 
Baring,  Alexander,  280-87, 

291-94 

Bonaparte,  Mme.,  144r-45 
Humboldt,  Alexander  von, 

44-45 

Monroe,  James,  84 
Moreau,  General,  7-10 
Stael,  Mme.  de,  37-39 
Letters  to  : 

Adams,  J.  Q.,  187-90,  258- 

61 
Baring,  Alexander,  3,  279- 

80,  287-91 
Clay,  Henry,  269-71,  273- 

76 

Crawford,  W.  H.,  15-19 
his  brother-in-law,  2 
Jefferson,  Thomas,  78-80 
Lafayette,  General,  19-20 
Monroe,  James,  81-84,  88- 

89 

Stael,  Mme.  de,  40-44 
Albert,  his  son,  in  Paris,  78, 
94,  98,  101,  103,  125;    at 
Fontainebleau,  113;  life  in 
America,  179, 186, 196, 207, 
217,  228-29,  233,  235,  239, 
247;    illness  of,  211;    wife 
of,  245;   the  house  at  New 
Geneva,  250-52 
Albert,  son  of  James,  253 
Barthelemy  de,  15  and  note 
Comte  de,  95,  96, 106, 118-20, 

204,  223,  226 

Comtesse  de,  96,  106,  118-20, 
204,  226;  and  Frances,  197; 
theatricals,  208-10 
Count  Paul  Michael  de,  12-13 
46 


Gallatin — cont. 

Frances,  78,  82;  journey  to 
France,  85;  in  Paris,  87, 94, 
96-98,  101,  103,  105,  115, 
125,  134,  135,  144-45,  175- 
76,  180,  219;  and  Mme. 
Bonaparte,  91;  the  King's 
admiration  for,  95 ;  at  Ver- 
sailles, 103;  at  Fontaine- 
bleau, 113, 211 ;  a  Christmas 
party,  116-18;  at  the  Ope"ra, 
137;  at  the  Elys<§e,  142;  at 
Suresnes,  148-49;  Christ- 
mas preparations,  150-51; 
pearls  for,  152-53;  de"but, 
163,  167,  177,  184-85;  and 
Mr.  As  tor,  167;  sauterie 
for,  168-70;  a  bal  costume, 
169-71;  scarlet  fever,  171- 
72;  at  the  Palais  Royal, 
178;  trick  played  by  James 
on,  181-82;  the  Paris 
churches,  183;  in  society, 
190, 192, 195,  197,  204,  206, 
220,  221,  224,  225-26,  232; 
proposals,  193,  240;  and 
Mamie  Kitty,  205;  theatri- 
cals, 208,  210;  and  Miss 
Edwards,  222,  229,  271;  the 
Christmas  play,  225-28; 
reception  by  the  Duchesse 
d'Angoule-me,  236,  238;  by 
Louis  XVIII,  240-41;  pres- 
ent from  Pozzo  di  Borgo, 
242;  return  to  America, 
242-45;  letter  from  her 
father,  246-47;  and  Mile 
Pascault,  248;  at  New 
Geneva,  250-52;  at  Trent- 
ham,  266;  in  London,  271- 
72,276 

Frangois  de,  110 

House,  Geneva,  46 

James,  diary  of,  v ;  mission  to 
Russia,  1  et  seq.;  and  Alex- 
ander, 24-25;  at  Coppet, 
58;  and  the  Duchesse  d'An- 
gouleme,  64;  portrait  by 
David,  64-67;  and  Louis 


305 


INDEX 


Gallatin,  James — cont. 

XVIII,  86;  a  broken  arm, 
174;  marriage,  249-50;  his 
son  born,  253;  the  English 
mission,  256;  return  to 
America,  258  note 

Josephine,  present  from  Du- 
chesse  d'Angouleme,  250; 
her  son  born,  253;  at  Friend- 
ship Hill,  254-55;  and  the 
English  mission,  256;  a 
letter  from,  264.  See  also 
Pascault,  Mile.  Josephine 

Louis,  61 

Mile  de,  152 

Mme.  Albert,  45,  61,  77,  78, 
82-84;  voyage  to  France, 
85;  life  in  Paris,  87,  95,  96, 
98-103, 114-16, 124, 134-37 
196,  203,  208,  209,  210, 232; 
reception  by  the  King,  89, 
92;  observance  of  Sunday, 
94,  103,  171;  visit  of  Louis 
XVIII  to,  95;  at  Fontaine- 
bleau,  113,  211;  court  func- 
tions, 116^17,  141;  Christ- 
mas festivities,  117-21, 
152-53;  illness  of  her  hus- 
band, 139-40;  and  her  son, 
142-43;  and  Mme.  Bona- 
parte, 144-45;  removal  to 
Geneva,  147-48;  and  Fran- 
ces, 163,  168-69,  172,  185, 
195;  and  the  "Comtesse 
de  C.,"  173;  religion,  180; 
liking  for  London,  181; 
in  Aix-en-Savoi,  190-91; 
and  Mme.  de  Boigne,  192; 
and  Mrs.  Montgomery, 
199-200;  a  kitchen  scene, 
205;  personality,  219,  234, 
242-43;  servants,  223;  and 
poor  Americans,  228-29;  a 
dinner  in  1823,  232-35;  re- 
ception by  the  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme,  235-36,  238; 
by  Louis  XVIII,  241;  in 
America,  244,  251-52;  and 
Mile  Pascault,  248;  Christ- 


Gallatin,  Mme.  Albert — cont. 

mas  in  America,  253;  a  sup- 
per at  Friendship  Hill,  254; 
reception  at  Boulogne,  257- 
58;  life  in  London,  263-64, 
271-72,  276,  294 

Gallatin-Vaudenet,  Mme.  de,  v,  60 
Gambier,  Lord,  28,  72 
Gambling  in  Paris,  230;  in  Lon- 
don, 268 

Geneva,  the  Gallatins  at,  v,  vii, 
viii,  36-38,  46-48,  56-59,85-112, 
114,  138,  147-48,  164,  191,  215, 
238;  deputation  from,  59;  na- 
tional hymn  of,  170 

Lake  of,  146 
Genlis,  Mme.  de,  115 
George  I,  24,  26 

III,  132-33 

IV,  accession,  160;  stories  of, 
202-3;  and  the  Gallatins, 
257;  and  Lady  Conyngham, 
262,  272;  in  London,  265; 
and  Albert  Gallatin,  268- 
69,  276.    See  also  Regent 

footman,  205-6 
Mile,  162 
Ghent,  the  treaty  negotiations,  v- 

vii,  20,  21,  26,  27,  35,  36,  38-44, 

51,  59;  articles  in  the   Times, 

74;  terms  of  the  treaty,  124-26, 

133 

Ghosts,  family,  49 
Gobelin  tapestries,  48 
Goderich,  Lord,  262,  271,  273;  the 

Goderich  Ministry,  273-75.  See 

also  Robinson,  Mr. 
Goltz,  Comte  and  Comtesse,  118 
Gordon,  Duke  of,  52  and  note,  56, 

108,  167,  184;  Colonel  Barry'a 

letter  to,  52-56;  account  of  ball 

at  Versailles,  56-57 
Gotha  River,  3 
Gottenburg,  2-3,  16,  21,  280,  282, 

283,  287 

Goulburn,  Henry,  28-34,  77,  126 
Grammont,  Due  de,  102, 106,  125- 

26 

Duchesse  de,  106 


306 


INDEX 


Grande     Pharamond,     Fontaine- 

bleau,  230 
Grant,  Mr.,  274 
Grayson,  Mr.,  97 
Great     Britain,     policy    towards 

United  States,  275-94 
Greece,  emancipation  of,  253-54 
Greffuhle,  M.  de,  156 
Gregoire,  Abbe,  149  and  note 
Grenoble,  65 
Greuze,  head  by,  67 
Greville,    Charles,   262   and  note, 

267,  272 

Grey,  Earl,  72,  73,  262 
Grimm,  60 
Gris  Nez,  Cape,  134 
Grisette,  world  of,  Paris,  97 
Grotz,  Comte  and  Comtesse  de, 

118 

Guiccioli,  Marquise  de,  167 

Guiche,  Comte  de,  125-26 

Due  de,  102,  125 


HAGUE,  negotiations  at  The,  109- 

12 

Hall,  Captain  Basil,  book  of,  52 
Hanson,  17 

Harris,  Mr.  Levitt,  24,  25 
Harrowby,  Lord,  273 
Harvey,  Mr.,  165 
Hautecombe,  monastery  of,  191 
Havre,  68,  69,  91 
Hay,  Mrs.,  83 

Hayti,  independence  of,  257,  260 
Henri  II  of  France,  63 

IV  of  France,  92,  160 
Henrietta-Maria,  Queen,  125-26 
Herries,  Mr.,  274 
Hesse-Cassel,  Landgrave  of,  v-vi, 

116,  252 

Holland  House,  271 
Horsham,  28  note 
Hortense,  Queen,  49,  234 
Hdtel,  the  term,  27 
Hotel  de  Ville,  155-56 
Hrushova,  10 
Hudson  River,  146  note 
Humberts,  the,  47 


Humboldt,  Baron,  aid  given  in  the 
negotiations  by,  vii,  24,  26  and 
note;  letter  to  Albert  Gallatin, 
44-45;  friendship  with  Albert 
Gallatin,  93,  100,  124,  174,  242, 
268,  269 
the  brothers,  174,  185 

Hundred  Days,  the,  90 

Huntly,Lord.  See  Gordon,  Duke  of 

Huskisson,  William,  261,  270  and 
note,  273-75 

ILLINOIS,  State  of,  28 
Impressment,  question  of,  70 
Indemnity  question,  the,  166-67, 

188,  191,  227 
India,  trade  with,  70 
Indian   tribes   of   North-Western 
Territory,    question    of    sover- 
eignty, 27,  30-31 
Indiana,  State  of,  28 

JAMES  I,  24 

Jay,  Mr.,  11,  277 

Jean,  footman,  87,  176 

Jefferson,    Thomas,    23,    44,    45; 

letter  from  Albert  Gallatin,  78- 

80 

Jena,  95 
Jerome,    King.     See   Bonaparte, 

Jerome 

Jews,  civil  rights,  149 
"John  of  Bologna,"  statue  by,  100 
Jones,  Captain  Lloyd,  2,  279 
Josephine,  Empress,  49  note,  63 
July  4th  in  Paris,  210 
"  Junius  (Letters  of),"  60 
Jura,  shooting*  in  the,  216 

KENSINGTON,     Lady,     222,     271 

Lord,  222 

Kent,  Duke  of,  death,  154  and  note 
Kew  Gardens,  271 
King,  Ruf  us,  236  and  note,  255, 261 

LAFAYETTE,  Mile  de,  portrait  by 
Mignard,  67 

M.  de,  friendship  with  Albert 
Gallatin,  vii,  24,  26,  100-1, 


307 


INDEX 


Lafayette,  M.  de— emit. 

106, 124, 172, 174, 181, 197, 
209,  214,  235,  242;  letter 
from  Albert  Gallatin,  19- 
20;  letter  to  W-  H-  Craw- 
ford, 21—23;  opinion  of  Na- 
poleon, 78;  visit  of  the  Gal- 
latins   to,   91;   on   liberty, 
120;  the  conspiracy,   165; 
mysterious  visits  of,  212-13, 
221-22;    visit  to  America, 
236,  253-54;  and  the  Due 
d'Orle"ans,257;  at  Boulogne, 
257;  petty  plots,  259-60 
Lafitte,  M.,  165 
Laflage,  Mile,  115 
Lakes,  the  Great,  question  of  con- 
trol, 28,  31 
Lansdowne,  Marchioness  of,  272 

Marquis  of,  72,  270,  273,  275 
Lauriston,  Marquis  de,  168 
Lausanne,  address  from  president 

of,  to  Albert  Gallatin,  50 
Laval,  Comte  de,  232 
Lavalette,  Monsieur  de,  48 
Lavalle,  Due  de,  179-80 
Duchesse  de,  179-80 
Law,  of  South  Sea  Bubble  fame, 

168 

Lawrence,  Mr.,  261,  268,  276 
Leeds,  Duke  of,  62  note 
Leicester  House,  Leicester  Fields, 

24 

Leman,  Lake,  48 
Lent  in  Paris,  103-5,  144-45,  178, 

203,  238 

Leopold,  Prince,  256 
Lethene,  Agnes,  218 
Lieven,   Prince,  12  and  note,  19, 
261-62 

Princess,  262 

Liverpool,  Lord,  the  negotiations, 
20,  21,  28,  30,  32,  59,  74;  illness 
and  death,  265-66,  268 
Livingstone,  Mr.,  181,  194 
Lloyd's  list,  279 
Loire,  the,  212,  219 
London,  impressions,  14,  15,  125- 
26,  131-33;  the  delegates  in,  14, 


London — cont. 

20,  21;  Seymour  Street,  14, 256; 
Sunday  in,  29;  Albert  Gallatin 
in,  1815,  6$-77;  St.  James's 
Street,  69,  265;  the  Mall,  73, 
265-67,  272;  the  mission  to, 
1826,  255-56 

Londonderry,  Lord.     See  Castle- 
reagh,  Lord 

Louis  XIV,  63,  87;   customs,  26, 
114 

XV,  ball  at  Versailles,  52  note; 
marriage,  57  note 

XVI,  marriage,  56-57;  death, 
150 

XVII,  impersonation  in  Amer- 
ica, 237,  242 

XVIII,  and  Albert  Gallatin, 
iii,  124,  154,  193;   laws  of, 
14  note  ;  letters  of,  56;  re- 
ception of  Albert  Gallatin, 
63-64,  86-87,  88,  92,  240- 
41;     news    of    Napoleon's 
escape,  64-65;    flight  with 
royal    family    from    Paris, 
65-66;    message  to  Mme. 
Jerome  Bonaparte,  90-91; 
reception  of  Mme.  Gallatin, 
89,  92;  visit  to  Mme.  Gal- 
latin, 95;  at  the  Petit  Lac, 
101-2;     and    the    Organs 
family,  106,  140;   and  De- 
cazes,  123;  illness,  149, 177, 
183, 195,  211,  222,  229,  236; 
death  of  the  Due  de  Berri, 
157-58,162;  and  Puchelieu, 
161 ;     and    Chateaubriand, 
164;  and  Due  de  Bordeaux, 
167;  and  the  confession  of 
the  Duchesse  de  Berri,  180; 
and  Mme.  du  Cayla,  200, 
202,  211,  223,  229,  241;  an 
American's  regard  for,  237; 
letter   to   Albert   Gallatin, 
243;  death,  250 

footman,  87 
Louvel,  assassin  of  Due  de  Berri, 

160,  162-64 
Louvre,  bomb  explosion,  162 


308 


INDEX 


Lucien,  valet,  87,  91,  111,  128, 
131-32,  134,  140,  148,  175,  218, 
223,  243,  247,  250 

Lucy,  Lady,  264 

Lulling,  the,  47 

Lussac,  Gay  de,  44,  45,  87,  197, 
204,  212,  226 

Luxembourg,  145 

Luynes,  Duchesse  de,  216 

MACON,  63 

Madison,  President,  vi,  1,  34,  55 

Maille,  Comtesse  de,  230 
Due  de,  158-59 

Maison  Doree,  94,  141,  239 

Maisons  de  jeu,  207 

Malibran,  208 

Mamie  Kitty,  nigger  cook,  205-6, 
212-13,  225-26 

Mantes,  68 

Marais,  the,  Paris,  173 

Marchmont,  Mr.,  110-11 

Marie-Antoinette,  52  note,  56,  71, 
184 

Marie-Louise,  55-56 

Marie-Theresa,  60 

Marmiers,  the,  63 

Marmont,  Marshal,  Napoleon  on, 
55 

Maubourg,  M.  Latour,  168 

Mecklenburg-Schwerin,  Grand 
Duke  of,  58 

Mer  de  Glace,  the,  215 

Metternich,  Prince,  Napoleon  on, 
54;  policy,  261 

Meunier,  Baron,  168 

Meyer  and  Bruxner,  Messrs.,  280 

Michael,  Count  Paul,  152 

Michigan,  State  of,  28 

Mignard,  portrait  of  Mile  de 
Lafayette,  67 

Milan  decree,  187,  188, 190,  298 

Milligan,  George,  2 

Mississippi,  navigation  of  the,  32- 
33,  34,  35,  133 

Monroe,  James,  21  note,  34;  let- 
ters from  Albert  Gallatin,  21, 
29,  81-84,  88-89;  presses  the 
French  mission  on  Albert  Gal- 


Monroe,  James — cont. 

latin,  80-82;    letter  to  Albert 
Gallatin,  84 

Mrs.,  83 

Monsieur,  and  Albert  Gallatin,  86, 
95, 193;  visit  to  Mme.  Gallatin, 
95;  alleged  intrigues,  113,  149, 
201;  and  Wellington,  138;  and 
the  death  of  the  Due  de  Berri, 
157;  promise  to  Richelieu,  161; 
at ;  Versailles,  183;  adieu  to  the 
Gallatins,  241;  letter  to  Albert 
Gallatin,  243 

Montesquieu,  Guy  de,  207,  209 
Mile,  de,  226 
Mme.  de,  230 
Montgomery,    Mrs.,   a  letter  to, 

199-200;  kindness  of,  244 
Montmorency,    Due   de,   51,    57, 
223,  227 

Duchesse  de,  223 
Mathieu    de,    Governor   of 
Compiegne,  151,  152,  178, 
263-64 

Vicomte  de,  241 

Moreau,  Gen.,  conversation  with 
Albert  Gallatin,  vii,  6-10;  ac- 
count of,   6  note ;    death,   10; 
silver  of,  121 
Morgan,  Lady,  179 
Morlaix,  6  note 
Mormornsen,  cat,  209 
Mourussa,  the  cat,  99 
Murats,  the,  190 
Murillo,  a  madonna  by,  67 

NAPOLEON  III,  49  note 

Narishkin,  M.,  229 

Navigation  Laws,  repeal  of,  270 

note 

Naville,  Adrien,  152,  153,  214 
family,  the,  47,  59,  191,  215 
M.,  46,  121 ;   letters  from  Al- 
bert Gallatin  to,  67 
Necker,  Mme.,  43,  60 

M.,  52 

Nelson,  Lord,  the  battle  of  Copen- 
hagen, 3-4 
Neptune,  the,  2,  75,  76,279,280,286 


309 


INDEX 


Nesselrode,  Count,  5 
Netherlands,  Albert  Gallatin  sent 

to,  103-4 

Newcastle,  United  States,  2 
New  England  States,  the,  17 

Geneva,  the   house  at,   196, 

242,  246-47,  250,  255 
Orleans,  defence,  44,  45 
Year  in  Paris,  94, 118-19, 137, 
149,  154, 193-94, 224-29;  in 
Baltimore,  249;  in  London, 
265 

York,  78,  81,  243-44 
Niagara,  Fort,  28 
Nicholas  V,  Pope,  57  note 
Nicholson,  maiden  name  of  Mme. 

Gallatin,  105 
Nicholsons,  the,  reception  of  the 

Gallatins,  244 

Norfolk,  newspaper  report  of,  16 
North  Cray,  214 

North- Western  Territory,  question 
of   Indian  sovereignty,   27-28, 
30-31 
Norway,    England    and    Russia, 

policy  towards,  4 
Notre  Dame,  Paris,  ceremony  on 

Christmas  Eve,  94 
Nova  Scotia,  trade  with,  70 
Nunez,  Due  de  Fernan,  106,  239 

O'CONNOR,  General,  184 
Mme.,  184 

O'Donnell,  Mr.,  248 

Mrs.,  nee  Pascault,  248 

Ogle-Taylor,  Mr.,  194 

Ohio,  State  of,  28 

"One- Year  Queen  of  Bohemia," 
the,  24 

Orleans,  Due  d',  and  Mme.  de 
Boigne,  93;  return  to  France, 
106  and  note;  intrigues,  140,  201; 
the  death  of  the  Due  de  Berri, 
157;  children  of,  178;  the  skat- 
ing carnival,  198;  at  the  Tuile- 
ries,  221;  at  the  Gallatins', 
228,  232-35;  and  Mme.  Bona- 
parte, 237;  Lafayette  and,  257; 
claim  to  the  throne,  260 


Orleans,  Due  d'— cont. 

Duchesse  of,  return  to  France, 
106-7;  at  the  Palais  Royal, 
149;  and  the  death  of  Due 
de  Berri,  157;  at  the  Tuile- 
ries,  177,  221;  the  skating 
carnival,  198;  and  the  Gal- 
latins, 227-28,  232-35,  241 

family,  return  to  France,  93, 
154;  the  royal  family  and, 
144;  innovations  at  court, 
149;  and  birth  of  Due  de 
Bordeaux,  166-67;  recep- 
tions at  the  Palais  Royal, 
209;  reception  at  the  Span- 
ish Embassy,  227 

Mile,  d',  107,  158,  160,  177, 
178,  228,  232,  241 

the  Regent,  115 

Orsay,  Comte  D',  106,]  121,  125, 
136,  150 

Comtesse  D',  106,  125,  150 

Mile.    D',   married   Due   de 

Guiche,  125 
Osmond  family,  the,  104 

Marquis  d',  92  and  note,  220 

Marquise  d',  220 

Mme.,  invitation  from,  206-8, 
209 

M.  d',  106, 120  and  note,  206- 

8,209 
Ostend,  110 
Ourousoffs,  the,  101 

PAJOL,  General,  165 

Palais  Royal,  gardens,  91,  93,  102; 
the  Orleans  family  established 
at,  106,  160,  166,  241;  recep- 
tions, &c.,  124,  141,  154,  178, 
192,  194,  209,  229,  232,  235 
Royal,  the  old,  173 

Palmerston,  Lord,  274 

Papal  Nuncio,  the,  at  the  Spanish 
Embassy,  171,  208 

Paris,  impressions,  14,  26,  41,  73; 
visit  of  the  Gallatins,  1815, 
63;  Rue  de  Monsieur,  64;  ar- 
rival of  Napoleon,  65-68;  cere- 
mony in  the  Champs  de  Mars, 


310 


INDEX 


Paris — cont. 

75;  return  of  the  Gallatins  in 
1816,  85;  Rue  de  1'Universite, 
87;  gardens  of  the  Palais  Royal, 
91;  public  baths,  111;  return  of 
the  Gallatins,  September  1817, 
113;  Christmas  and  the  New 
Year  in,  115-20,  137,  152-53, 
174,  193-94,  224-29;  return  of 
James  Gallatin  in  1818,  134-35; 
in  1819,  149;  in  1822,  217;  in 
1826,  258 
Parish  and  Girard,  Messrs.,  vi-vii 

Mr.,  188 

Parker,  Mr.,  91,  213 
Pascault,  brother  of  M.  Pascault, 
248 

Mile.  Henrietta.    See  Reubel, 

Mme. 

Mile.   Josephine,   beauty  of, 
237-38,    245-49;   marriage 
to  James  Gallatin,  249-50 
Mme.,  246,  248 
M.  (Marquis  de  Pole*on),  61, 
62,  237,  245,  246  and  note, 
247-48;     and     the     Arch- 
bishop of  Baltimore,  249- 
50;  illness,  251-52 
Pasquier,  M.,  168 
Patiomkin,  Princess,  58 
Patterson,  Mr.,  245,  247 

Mrs.  Robert,  194,  197,  200; 
married  Marquis  of  Welles- 
ley,  222,  263  and  note 
Robert,  165,  263  note 
Pavilion  Henri  Quatre,  St.  Ger- 
main, 204 

Peace,  European  Treaty  of,  23 
with  United  States,  the  treaty 

signed,  35 

Peacock,  the,  85,  240,  243 
Peel,  Mr.,  273-74 
Pennsylvania,  195 
Peter,  black  servant,  96,  140 
Petit  Lac,  Bois  de  Boulogne,  skat- 
ing on  the,  101,  119,  195,  198- 
99,  202,  226-27,  232 
Petit  Trianon,  the,  26 
Pickering,  17 


Pictet,  Mile,  105,  118 
M.,  50 

Pin,  Tour  du,  231 

Pitt,  William,  60 

Place,  M.  la,  94,  100-1,  124,  242 
and  note 

Plaisance,  Due,  100 
Duchesse,  100 

Poitiers,  Diane  de,  63 

Poix,  Prince  de,  151,  230 

Poleon,  Marquis  de.  See  Pas- 
cault, M. 

Poletica,  Mr.,  16,  19 

Polignac,  Jules  de,  263 

Pope,  the,  and  Napoleon,  54,  63 

Portal,  M.,  Marine  and  Roy,  168 

Portland,  Duke  of,  273 

Portugal,  affairs  in,  1827,  275-76 

Prangins,  49 

Praslin,  Due  de  Choiseul,  63-64 

Pregny,  60,  61,  138,  146 

Press  of  1816,  sympathy  with 
Napoleon,  86 

Prussia,  Queen  of,  48 

Puyse"gur,  friendship  of,  102,  135, 
155,  159,  209-10 

QUELLON,  M.  du,  200 
Quincy,  17 

RACINE,  Phedre,  26 
Ratifar,  M.,  chef,  87 
Re~becque,    Baron   Constant,    93, 
112 

Mme.  de,  112 
Re"camier,  Mme.,  61,  93,  104,  121, 

136-37,  139,  150-51,  190,  194 
Red  Indians,  32 

Regent,  the  (afterwards  George 
IV),  15;  and  Albert  Gallatin,  72, 
77;  at  Brighton,  127-31;  ap- 
pearance, 265.  See  also  George 
IV 

Renaissance  architecture,  218 
Reubel,  Frederic,  246,  255 

General,  62,  245,  248-49,  252 
Mile.,  246,  248 

Mme.,  62,  237,  245,  248,  252, 
255 


311 


INDEX 


Revolution,  the  French,  references 
to,  61,  146-47,  164 

Richelieu,  Due  de,  and  Albert 
Gallatin,  86  and  note,  91,  94, 
100,  138,  139,  149;  resignation, 
123,  137;  and  the  Queen  of 
Sweden,  137,  161-62,  163,  194, 
223;  pension,  138;  refuses  office, 
161 ;  Monsieurand,  161  ;and  Cha- 
teaubriand, 164;  and  the  in- 
demnity, 166-67,  188;  return  to 
power,  168;  honesty  of,  174; 
death,  203-4;  and  Mme.  du 
Cayla,  223 

Ministry,  the,  168 

Richmond,  271 

Robespierre,  7 

Robinson,  Mr.  Frederic  (after- 
wards Viscount  Goderich),Vice- 
President  of  Board  of  Trade,  72 
and  note;  the  negotiations  in 
London,  73-77;  terms  of  Ghent 
treaty,  126,  133 

Rocca,  M.,  104,  216  and  note 

Rochefoucauld  d'Enville,  Due  de 
la,  26,  89,  94,  150,  229 
Mathieu  de  la,  200 
Sosthene  de  la,  94,  102,  150, 
155,  169,  223 

Rochejacquelin,  M.  de,  122 

Rochment,  Pictet  de,  118 

Rocky  Mountains,  and  the  bound- 
ary question,  275 

"Roger  de  Coverley,"  119 

Rogers,  Captain,  of  the  Peacock, 
85,  243 

Rohan,  Due  de,  106 

Rohan-Chabot,  M.,  157 

Role,  Chateau  du,  214,  216 

RoUe,  48 

Romanzoff,  Count,  5,  6,  7,  12,  13 

Rome,  144 

Romilly,  Mme.  Meunier,  portrait 
of  Albert  Gallatin,  61-62 

Rosbach,  295,  296 

Rosette,  danseuse,  92,  93 

Rosey,  M.  Du,  216 

Rothschild,  M.,  76,  104 

Rouen,  68,  69 


Rousseau,  theories,  v 

"Rout,"  a  London,  265,  272 

Rovigo,  Due  de,  the  conspiracy, 
165 

Rozay,  Chateau  de,  48 
Mile  Rolaz  du,  48 

Rush,  Mr.,  16,  125,  126,  132;  dis- 
patches to,  233,  260-61 

Russell,    Mr.,   appointed  on   the 
Peace  Commission,  16,  28,  33 

Rutland,  Duchess  of,  265 

SACCONNEX,  58-59,  216 

Sackett's  Harbour,  28 

St.  Cloud,  208,  211,  221,  240 

Domingo,  massacre  on,  53,  62, 

246  note 

Germain,  204-5,  211 
Helena,  111,  186;  "The  Man- 
uscript of  St.  Helena,"  121 
James's,  Court  of,  236  note 
Lawrence  River,  navigation, 

70 
Mary's  River,  navigation  laws, 

192 

Paul's  Cathedral,  70 
Petersburg,  vi,  279;    impres- 
sions, 4,  10,  14,  15,  174-75 
Pierre,  Cathedral  of,  38,  61 
Pierre  de  Challiot,  202 
Sebastian,  Amsterdam,  187 
Sainte-Chapelle,  the,  126 
Saladins,  the,  47 
Salon,  customs  of  the,  47 
Sanglier,  chasse  au,  113-14,  151- 

52,200 

Sarrasins,  the,  47 
Savigliano  in  the  Piedmont,  12 
Savoy,  Duke  of,  50 

Dukes  of,  burial-place,  191 
Saye  and  Sele,  Lord,  70-71 
"Schottische,"  the,  115 
Seine,  the,  116;  steamboats,  146 

note;  baths  in  the,  211 
Sellon,  Comte  de,  47,  48,  51,  191, 
214 

Hortense  de,  48,  49 
Senarclan,  M.  de,  50 
Sennox,  245 


312 


INDEX 


Serent,  Due  de,  151 
Duchesse  de,  241 

Sergy,  50 

Serre,  M.  de,  vi,  168 

Sevenoaks,  128 

Sheldon,  Mr.,  87  and  note,  113, 
167,  201 

Sicily,  23 

Sigismonde,  M.,  56 

Simeon,  M.,  168 

Simplon  Pass,  the,  55 

Sismondi,  M.  J.  C.  L.,  apprecia- 
tion of  Albert  Gallatin,  38,  47 
and  note,  51 

Skating,  195,  198,  202,  226-27, 
232 

Slave  trade,  Alexander  on  the,  23; 
Napoleon  on  the,  53,  68;  the 
captured  slaves,  indemnity  for 
owners,  126,  259 

Soltz,  Comte  and  Comtesse,  106 

Sophia,  Electress,  24;  stories  of, 
26,27 

Sorel,  Agnes,  57  note,  218 

South  American  Republics,  142 

Spain,  and  the  Treaty  of  1819, 142 

Spanish  colonies  revolt,  142,  253 
Embassy,  Paris,  171, 208, 227, 
239 

Spartan,  frigate,  2 

Specie  payments,  suspension  of,  in 
United  States,  81 

Stadinck,  Marshal,  22 

Stael,  Mme.  de,  friendship  for 
Albert  Gallatin,  vii,  46, 266;  and 
Alexander,  23-25;  letters  to 
Albert  Gallatin,  1814,  37-39; 
letter  from  Albert  Gallatin,  40- 
44;  life  at  Coppet,  50-52,  56-58, 
71,  89;  "Corinne"  presented  to 
James  Gallatin,  58;  Byron  and, 
59;  question  of  her  fortune,  67, 
104;  in  Paris,  93,  94,  100-1; 
and  Wellington,  102;  illness  and 
death,  108-9;  habits,  122, 145 
Albertine  de,  51,  56.  See  also 

Broglie,  Duchesse  de 
Auguste  de,  39,  43,  51,  109, 
216 


Stafford,  Marchioness  of,  71,  232, 

235,  261-62,  266 
Stirling,  Lord,  267 
Stratford,  Lord,  62  note 
Strong,  17 
Stuart,  Chevalier,  106, 118-19, 169, 

204,  208 

Sunday,  in  London,  15;  in  Paris,  94 
Suresnes,  148-49 
Sutherland,     Countess     of.      See 

Stafford,  Marchioness  of 
Sweden,  Quesn  of,  wife  of  Berna- 

dotte,  122   and   note;   and   M. 

de  Richelieu,  137,  161,  163,  194, 

203,  204,  223;  a  lampoon  on, 

151 
Swiss  girls,  habits  of,  217 

TALLEYRAND,  Prince,  106,  123-24, 

162-63,  168,  227,  265,  268 
Talma,  actor,  162 
Talmont,  Princesse  de,  122 
Tankerville,  Lord,  126 
Terror,  the,  146-47,  164 
Tete  de  Noire  Pass,  Chamounix, 

215 

The*nard,  44,  45 
Thome,  the  Misses,  204 
Tilsit,  Treaty  of,  54 
Times,  the,  criticism  of  the  Treaty 

of  Ghent,  74 
Todd,  John,  2 
Tortoni's,  208,  212 
Tour,  Balliet  La,  friendship,  102, 

118 

Carillon  la,  195,  212 
Mme.  Carillon  la,  195,  230 
Tower  of  London,  70,  132 
Tracy,  Mr.,  19 
Treasury,  Paris,  bomb  explosions, 

177 
United  States,  offer  to  Albert 

Gallatin,  84-85 
Trentham,  entertainment  at,  262, 

266 
Trianon  Decree  of  August  5,  1810, 

187-90 

Trois  Freres  Provenceaux,  183 
Tudert,  Sarah,  218 


313 


INDEX 


Tuileries,  reception  of  Napoleon, 
65-66;  etiquette,  124;  funeral 
of  the  Due  de  Berri,  159;  Du- 
chesse  de  Berri  at,  162;  bomb 
explosion  at,  177;  receptions, 
&c.,  177,  210,  220-21 

Twenty  years'  war  in  Europe,  41 

UNION-TOWN,  reception  of  Lafay- 
ette, 253-54 

United  States,  Trianon  decree  of 
August  5,  1810,  297-98 

VALLIERE,  Mile  de  la,  126 

Vaud,  Canton  de,  address  to  Al- 
bert Gallatin,  50,  59 

Vaux  Praslin,  63 

Veronese,  Paolo,  "Queen  Esther 
before  Ahasuerus,"  67 

Versailles,  the  Petit  Trianon,  26; 
entertainment  at,  52  note,  50-57, 
183-84;  the  Lussacs  at,  87; 
visits  to,  103;  the  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme  and,  211 

Vestris,  Mme.  Le,  182 

Veufflans,  Chdteau  de,  above  Lau- 
sanne, 50 

Vienna,  Congress  of,  37,  74,  79 

Villar,  Due  de,  60 

Ville  Juis,  55 

Villele,  M.  de,  227,  257,  260 

Vilette,  Mme.  de  la,  61 

Vincennes,  skating  at,  174 

Vincent,  Baron,  106,  239 

"Vivian  Grey,"  267 

Vodka,  popularity  of,  6 

Voltaire,  v,  56,  5^-61,  105,  184; 
letter  to  Count  d'Argental, 
295-96 

Vosges  Mountains,  60 

WADDINGTON,  Mme.,  236  note 
Waldorf,  80 
Walevski,  Count,  234 
Walpole,  Lord,  13,  287 
Warden,  Mr.,  44,  45 
Warren,  Admiral,  passport  of,  2, 
280 


Washington,    capture   of,   40-41; 
impressions,  73;  Albert  Gallatin 
in,  83,  84,  244 
President,  11,  56 

Waterloo,  76;   the  plains  of,  111 

Watts,  Lady  Mary,  267 
Mr.,  267 

Weald  of  Sussex,  132 

Wellesley,  Lady.  See  Patterson, 
Mrs.  Robt. 

Marquis  of,  62  note,  222,  263 
note 

Wellington,  Duke  of,  28  note,  62 
note,  90,  141  and  note,  265;  pri- 
vate notes  to  Albert  Gallatin,  34- 
35;  and  Mme.  de  Stael,  39,  51; 
the  negotiations,  59;  and  Albert 
Gallatin,  73;  on  the  Treaty  of 
Ghent,  74;  Waterloo,  76;  and 
James  Gallatin,  93;  personality, 
102;  attempt  on  his  life,  104; 
dinner  given  by,  106;  and  the 
French  Royal  Family,  138; 
amours,  165;  and  Mrs.  Robert 
Patterson,  194,  222,  263  note  ; 
purchase  of  the  Hotel  Borghese, 
220  note  ;  and  Canning,  269; 
a  banquet,  271-72;  command  of 
the  Army,  273,  274 

West  India  trade,  settlement  of 
the  question,  70,  126,  133 

Western  Virginia,  Albert  Gallatin's 
love  for,  196,  217,  219,  224;  the 
house  in,  244-45 

Westmoreland,  Countess  of,  141 
and  note,  144,  208 

Westphalia,  Court  of,  252,  255 

Weyer,  M.  Van  der,  256 

Whigs,  policy  of  the,  1827,  270 

White  Hart  Inn,  271 

White's  Club,  132,  203;  gambling 
at,  263,  264 

Wigs,  Bonaparte  fashion  of  wear- 
ing, 248 

Wisconsin,  State  of,  28 

Wurtemberg,  King  of,  96 


YORK,  Duke  of,  death,  265-67 
York  House,  265 


314 


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